September 20th, 2022

Ford standing by while Ontarians crushed by historic food prices, consumer gouging: NDP

QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario NDP Affordability critic Teresa Armstrong issued the following statement in response to Statistics Canada's newly released Consumer Price Index (CPI) showing a 10-per cent rise in food prices:

"Food prices have reached a historic high and people are being crushed. Ontarians are seeing food prices grow faster than the national average. They're being forced to cut back on what goes in their grocery cart. They’re making hard choices about what they can afford to feed their families. Those on small, fixed incomes are being hit the hardest.

Meanwhile, Doug Ford hasn't done a single thing to address consumer gouging and greed. He's standing by as grocery chains rake in record profits, using inflation as an excuse.

We’ve seen this before from Doug Ford. He allowed bad-apple home builders to gouge buyers for tens of thousands of dollars beyond their agreed-upon contracts. He did nothing while grocery stores were selling hand sanitizer for $30-a-pop in the early days of COVID. He watched while auto insurance companies raked in record profits, and kept charging drivers sky-high prices.

Making matters even worse for families, the Ford government has hiked natural gas rates. People’s utility bills are climbing again.

We need a government that takes on consumer gouging. We need the government to stand up to companies taking advantage of inflation to hike their own bottom line. The NDP will continue to hold this government to account until it addresses consumer gouging."