Ottawa says it has received promises from major grocery chains of discounts and price freezes on a wide range of grocery products that Quebecers will soon be able to see at the checkout.
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“I looked at the circulars this morning,” enthused Minister François-Philippe Champagne. There are banners that start positioning before Thanksgiving.”
Justin Trudeau had promised that the five largest grocers would present him with a plan to stabilize prices by the long October holidays.
But this plan, which Minister Champagne did not want to explain in more detail, contains nothing new, according to an expert.
“If we seek help immediately, this is not a plan that will help consumers who are currently most burdened,” said Sylvain Charlebois, scientific director of the Laboratory for Analytical Sciences in Agri-Food Economics at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
“In fact, it’s a complete waste of time. We’re talking about measures that already exist.”
In fact, big brands are used to freezing prices on certain products this time of year in preparation for the holiday season.
And new newsletters are usually published on Thursdays.
“Ottawa is honoring something that is already operating normally,” Professor Charlebois continues, adding that food inflation continues to fall.
More competition
Mr. Charlebois argues that Ottawa could have helped lower prices immediately, for example by eliminating the federal tax on a broader range of essential products.
Minister Champagne stressed that Ottawa is in the early stages of its efforts to provide relief to consumers.
Mr Charlebois welcomes the government’s initiatives, which are likely to have a longer-term impact, to increase competition in the country where five banners control 80% of the market.
Mr. Champagne admits that “it’s really competition that ensures Canadians get value for their money.”
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