NDP response to the Canada Food Price Report 2026

NDP Leader Don Davies issued the following statement in response to the recently released Canada Food Price Report 2026:

"A new report paints a deeply troubling picture of food insecurity in Canada.

The Canada Food Price Report just issued reveals that a quarter of Canadian households are living in food insecurity and that they will be forced to spend nearly one thousand dollars more on groceries in 2026. This means that hunger in Canada will continue to rise as more Canadians will be forced to skip meals or sacrifice to keep their children fed.

This exposes in stark terms that the Liberals’ pledge to be judged on the price of a basket of food is a major policy failure.

The report’s findings also shows that the GST/HST Holiday last winter worked well to lower food inflation, allowing Canadians to pay less for their food and save more. New Democrats supported that measure at the time and called for it to become permanent. We reiterate that call today to make the GST holiday permanent, removing the tax on all grocery, food and beverage products so more families can feed their families.

The report notes that only four food conglomerates control 72 per cent of the grocery market in Canada. New Democrats have long called for effective action to police anti-competitive practices caused by this monopoly. We reiterate our call for mandatory standards to ensure free competition and fight collusion in price-setting, and for the government to properly enforce the Grocery Code of Conduct.

The report also shows how decisions by large corporations like Kraft-Heinz and Dr. Pepper Kellog to downsize and lay off thousands of workers have led to a reduction in the amount of food produced in Canada. This hampers the policy of “buying Canadian” in the face of Donald Trump’s trade war and highlights how important it is for the federal government to better protect Canadian jobs and support Canadian industries.

Finally, this report lays out how the failure to deal with climate change costs our economy. It specifically identifies how the prolonged drought facing Canadian cattle farmers has led to less animals being raised and consequently higher prices for Canadian beef. Regressive environmental policies by the Carney government will only exacerbate the negative effects of the climate crisis and further hurt farmers, ranchers and Canadians struggling to make ends meet.

Food is a staple of life and a core necessity. It is unacceptable that so many are struggling for adequate nutrition in a G7 country that is touted by Liberals to be a global economic power.

New Democrats will continue to press for effective action to ensure every Canadian can have access to affordable, nutritious food."