Manitoba Opposition member wants government ‘crackdown’ on rising grocery prices
WINNIPEG — A member of Manitoba’s Opposition New Democrats has raised the prospect of a government “clampdown” on grocery prices if the party wins the election slated for Oct. 3, but has not offered details on how that might be possible.
Mark Wasyliw, the party’s critic for economic development, investment and trade, made the comments on the doorstep of a Winnipeg resident, a recording of which was obtained by the Canadian Press.
“We need to get grocery prices down. They’re way too expensive,” Wasyliw says in the recording, taken earlier this month by a homeowner who wanted to remain anonymous.
“And part of the problem is, there’s only a handful of these big companies and they engage in predatory commercial practices that raise the cost of groceries. So we want to clamp down on that on regulation.”
Wasyliw, who is seeking re-election in the Fort Garry constituency in Winnipeg, also discussed issuing more rebates for automobile insurance, which Crown-owned Manitoba Public Insurance has done in some recent years.
The NDP caucus rejected an interview request for Wasyliw or NDP Leader Wab Kinew on the issue, and instead provided a brief written statement that did not explain what a clampdown on grocery prices might entail.
“There are steps government can take to fight for a fair price for consumers and a Manitoba NDP government will do everything we can to make life more affordable for families,” the statement read.
The Retail Council of Canada said it’s unclear what powers a provincial government has on pricing, and rising grocery prices have been driven by higher input costs including fuel, farm fertilizer, and the supply-chain effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“It’s naive to think that you can manage pricing at a provincial level when it’s such a complex global sector that is so interconnected with global issues and rising costs all along the food chain,” John Graham, the council’s government relations director, said Friday.