11mo ago

Canada's industry minister 'disappointed' in grocers' cost stabilization measures

www.ctvnews.ca Canada's industry minister 'disappointed' in grocers' cost stabilization measures

Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says he's 'disappointed' in the lack of transparency Canadian grocery store giants have offered so far when it comes to tackling food inflation. He's sending a letter to Canada's Commissioner of Competition to express his dissatisfaction.

37 comments

While I appreciate that this guy is trying to get more competition, it seems like a cop out.
We had a 'lower prices or else' statement, they chose to respond 'lol k' and then did nothing. He should tax the fuck out of them, AND get the competition minister involved.
If you're gouging on vital products, you're fucking scum.
- He should tax the fuck out of them
  Ok, but realistically now, how would you even do that. What would be the law you'd implement to allow you to do that? That's not how taxes work at all.
  
  The gov't can request info from the CRA on profits the big grocers make, compare them to pre-pandemic numbers and adjust their tax rate.
  The other way is to reintroduce taxation rules from the 70's (pre Reagan/Thatcher trickle-down stupidity) and force the companies to pay more for larger profits.
  
  They can introduce a windfall tax, as in the specific kind of tax designed to discourage gouging.

Myself and everyone I know has no faith at all in the regulatory bodies of this country.
- Corporations have faith in them, just not for the same reasons.

Tax. Them.
If they still don't reduce profitability, tax them some more.
This is fucking grocery distribution and retail. It's not microprocessor research or cancer-care drugs, there's no "innovation" you're stifling. Tax them.
- Tax them and give the money back to the consumers. Otherwise consumers are still getting gouged but the government is profiting from it.
  
  We are the government.
- Tax them > They increase prices to compensate > They sell essential products so people still need to buy
  The only way you can break them is by creating a non profit crown corporation to compete with them.
  
  The point of marginal taxes is to make it acceptable to turn a reasonable profit, but taxes get more and more punitive as profits go up, and thusly price gouging isn't really worth the effort.
  It still incentivizes making money but rather than taking those profits and grinding employees, suppliers and customers, you're incented to invest that money back into the business. You can still make millions or billions in revenue and make a reasonable profit, but instead of Galenm, senior leaders and laerger shareholders making bank, the profits go either to wages, facilities or (if you don't raise pay or invest) to the government.
  This is, incidentally, how it all worked prior to 1980 or so, when we had a functioning social safety net.
  Put it this way: if Weston is already a multibillionaire and still makes $300M/y in salary and comp, plus additional bonuses, then we're not taxing Loblaw enough. Could they raise prices? Sure, they could, but why, because they don't make enough billions yet?
  Nuts to this idea of "if we tax them, they'll raise prices and/or leave". I've had enough of being blackmailed by billionaires. They need us to buy their stuff and back their wealth; we don't need them. If, eg, Loblaw wants to raise prices to maintain unreasonable post-tax profits, someone else can step in and do the same thing and charge less, and Galen can fuck off.

Canada: Don't adjust wages for inflation.
Also Canada: Gosh, the food prices skyrocketed... if only we could do something.
Canadian Dairy Farmers: Should I buy a second Tesla or switch it up?

Basically, "go away before I taunt you a second time"
It is so obvious it is price gouging from big chains. Same product at a dollar store a block away from SuperStore is half price. Dollar Store consistent price throughout COVID, Superstore creeping up 25¢ each week, until the point of "I can't justify buying this here" . And now SuperStore has electronic tags they change the price randomly up and down, as much as +$2 on a $4 item for a few days. There is no way to budget food basics with this nonsense. Luckily we have Fruiticana out west, where produce is typically half price of SuperStore pricing.
- I agree, the small local grocers / regional chains used to be consistently more expensive than going to Superstore or Walmart. They have raised prices, but somehow not as much as the big guys. They still can't compete on some of the big volume staples like milk, eggs, pasta, and bread, but is it really worth saving a buck on a couple items just to pay more for everything else? In a way it's almost a good thing though, it's never been an easier decision to support local.

The only way I can view this is it's another occasion where they said they tried and it's just the way things are or he's so delusional that he thought all he had to do was ask to get food prices under control.
As usual regardless of your political affiliation 200k+ is a lot to pay for someone for this quality of work.
For anyone wondering his next game plan is deferring to the Competition Bureau. I feel like somehow the timing of them really wanting to do something will be awful close to the next election cycle.
Champagne wrote that he hopes to discuss the possibility of a follow-up study with the competition commissioner.
- I feel like somehow the timing of them really wanting to do something will be awful close to the next election cycle.
  Ah, yes, the standard Liberal wash cycle:
  Get elected.
  Start some committees to study the possibility of a commission to make a recommendation for an option to be considered. Electoral reform, indigenous welfare, whatever.
  Sabotage the committees you started. Maybe get into a court case or two to defend your not doing anything about clean water on reserves, or climate change, or whatever.
  Do the neoliberal bullshit you wanted to do: cut some taxes, buy an oil pipeline in hopes Alberta will like you, etc.
  Two weeks before you drop the writ, promise all sorts of progressive stuff that you'll get to, honest, pinkie-swear. Go ahead and try to kick the football, Charlie Brown.

Well, his first problem is thinking "food inflation" is a thing. There is no inflation, it's all just unchecked corporate greed.
Want to fix the problem? Introduce a new tax that cleans house of all the money stolen by the corporations and put them back into education and health care.
- That would just increase the price further as the corporations would shift the cost to the clients.
  Want to solve it permanently? Crown corporation grocery stores.
  
  If the taxes are designed to create a ceiling, it wouldn't matter how much they charged.
  I do like the idea of crown corporation grocery stores, though. Let's go that route.

Nothing essential should be in private hands. NOBODY should be making a profit from anything essential. Everything deemed essential should be provided by the government at the lowest possible cost to the taxpayers. If the private sector wants a share they can be in charge of alcohol, drugs, cosmetics, swarovski crystals, celebrity car air fresheners etc...
- Is it bad to let private companies compete with a public institution? If they want to do it for less, go for it, but if they charge more, people can use the public option?

He's the Champagne of bad Industry Ministers

We need public options for the entire supply and distribution chain
- Yup, stop giving farmers subsidies, nationalize the production
  Stop arguing with grocers, open State owned groceries

But Justin talked to them! I thought this was solved?!?

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