8.57°C Vancouver

Sep 18, 2023 5:39 PM - The Canadian Press

Champagne, Freeland to meet grocery executives to discuss stabilizing prices

Share On
champagne-freeland-to-meet-grocery-executives-to-discuss-stabilizing-prices
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne are set to meet with executives from Loblaw, Metro, Empire, Walmart and Costco this morning. (Photo: Twitter/François-Philippe Champagne )

Top executives from Canada's major grocery chains are in Ottawa this morning to meet with two federal cabinet ministers and discuss measures to stabilize grocery prices.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne are set to meet with executives from Loblaw, Metro, Empire, Walmart and Costco this morning.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week that the federal government is asking major Canadian grocers to come up with a plan by Thanksgiving to stabilize prices.

Trudeau warned that if the plan is not good enough, Ottawa will take further action and the government is not ruling anything out, including tax measures.

The call comes as grocery prices rose 8.5 per cent year-over-year in July, showing a slight easing of price growth but still running much hotter than overall inflation at 3.3 per cent.

The Retail Council of Canada said in a statement last week that grocer prices profits have nothing to do with the rising cost of food, pointing instead to higher costs being passed on from food manufacturers and producers.

Latest news

federal-court-of-appeal-set-to-rule-on-ottawas-single-use-plastics-ban
CanadaJan 30, 2026

Federal Court of Appeal upholds Ottawa’s authority to maintain single-use plastic b

Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that the federal government acted within its authority when it classified certain plastic products as toxic, clearing the way for Ottawa to maintain its ban on several single-use plastic items. In a unanimous decision released Friday, a three-judge panel overturned a 2023 lower court ruling that had found the federal government overreached by broadly labeling plastic manufactured items as toxic under environmental legislation. That earlier decision had cast uncertainty over the future of the single-use plastics ban. The appeal court concluded the go
cfia-says-threats-against-staff-escalated-during-b-c-ostrich-cull-forcing-family-relocation
BCJan 30, 2026

CFIA says threats against staff escalated during B.C. ostrich cull, forcing family relocation

A senior Canadian Food Inspection Agency official says agency employees faced escalating threats and harassment during preparations for the culling of hundreds of ostriches at a British Columbia farm, including incidents serious enough to force the relocation of a worker and their family. In an interview with The Canadian Press, the official said opposition to the cull intensified both online and in person, culminating in what they described as extreme cases of direct threats involving physical violence and sexual assault. One CFIA employee and their partner were relocated along with their chi
trump-nominates-kevin-warsh-as-next-chair-of-u-s-federal-reserve
WorldJan 30, 2026

Trump nominates Kevin Warsh as next chair of U.S. Federal Reserve

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Kevin Warsh to serve as the next chair of the Federal Reserve, a move that could signal a shift in the direction of American monetary policy. The nomination comes as the term of current chair Jerome Powell is set to expire in May. Warsh, 55, previously served as a Federal Reserve governor from 2006 to 2011, a period that included the global financial crisis. He is well known in financial and policy circles and is viewed as an experienced figure with deep familiarity with central banking and global markets. President Trump has repeatedly criticized Powe
signs-of-slowdown-emerge-as-canadas-economy-faces-possible-gdp-decline-in-final-quarter
CanadaJan 30, 2026

Signs of slowdown emerge as Canada’s economy faces possible GDP decline in final quarter

Canada’s economy is showing renewed signs of strain, with new data suggesting the country’s gross domestic product may have contracted in the fourth and final quarter of 2025. Economists point to ongoing trade pressures, particularly from U.S. tariffs, as a key factor weighing on growth in a trade-dependent economy. According to Statistics Canada, economic activity stalled completely in November, marking zero growth for the month. This followed a 0.3 per cent decline in October, making it the second consecutive month without any measurable improvement in overall economic output. Analysts s
rcmp-believe-infant-also-dead-after-woman-found-in-st-albert-apartment
AlbertaJan 30, 2026

RCMP believe infant also dead after woman found in St. Albert apartment

RCMP say they believe the infant child of a woman found dead in a St. Albert apartment north of Edmonton has also died, as a homicide investigation continues. Mounties were called to an apartment in the city on Friday, where officers discovered the remains of 23-year-old Ayla Egotik-Learn. Police say Egotik-Learn was originally from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, highlighting the broader interprovincial impact of the case. Her common-law partner, Christopher William Beasley, has been charged with second-degree murder. He is also facing a charge of causing an indignity to human remains in relation to

Related News