Canada's big grocery CEOs to testify on food inflation in Ottawa

The men in charge of three of Canada’s largest grocery store chains have been summoned to testify in front of a Parliamentary committee studying food price inflation and food insecurity.

Galen Weston of Loblaw Companies Ltd., Michael Medline of Empire Companies Ltd. (which owns Sobey’s), and Eric La Flèche of Metro Inc. are set to attend a televised meeting Wednesday afternoon with the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food.

According to the notice of meeting posted on the House of Commons website, they’ll be discussing food price inflation. The meeting is set to begin at 4:30 pm Eastern Time.

Canadians have been dealing with painful grocery price increases amid record inflation in the last year, with some media investigations even suggesting that the country’s big grocery chains could be profiting off inflation by charging even more than inflation alone would suggest.

The Government of Canada pointed to its new Grocery Code of Conduct in January, saying it will enhance “transparency, predictability, and fair dealing.” However, the code of conduct is optional and the government only urged grocers to buy in.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the meeting was happening Tuesday. It’s happening Wednesday, March 8.