As federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre holds a series of rallies across Northern Ontario, the New Democratic Party is taking aim at him on the issue of high grocery prices.
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus says Poilievre has no plan, other than blaming Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government for everything.
Angus says the NDP solution is to deal with the excess profits of the grocery chains.
“And he’s not going to do that, because he’s completely tied with connections to lobbyists for Loblaws,” claims Angus, “groups that are tied to major corporate interests in this country. He’s not going to bite the hand that feeds him.”
The NDP says Conservative caucus chair Scott Reid is chairman of Giant Tiger; chief of staff Jenni Byrne is a lobbyist for Loblaw; and Poilievre’s national council includes pharma lobbyists.
Angus says the NDP wants to do what other countries do, by targeting those profits.
“These companies are making an amazing amount of profit at the best of times,” he remarks. “But when they’re making the kind of excess profits and are ripping us off at the grocery stores, government needs to intervene. Government needs to say ‘whoa’.”
Angus says the table has to be reset so that it’s fair.
