NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling for the competition commissioner to investigate allegations that the Loblaw grocery chain and a company owned by telecom companies Rogers and Bell are engaging in price fixing.
“Canadians are getting ripped off when they go to the grocery stores,” while also paying cell phone fees that are “some of the highest in the world,” Mr. Singh said during a May 22 press conference.
“And now we’ve learned that Loblaws is teaming up with Rogers and Bell to rip off Canadians even more with their cell phone prices by limiting choices.”
Calls for Stronger Anti-Competitive Laws
Mr. Singh called for stronger anti-competition laws to protect consumers and for quicker investigations of “anti-competitive behaviours.” He also blamed the Liberal government for being slow to act.“The Liberals and Justin Trudeau act like they have no power to stop this. They absolutely do have the power and the responsibility to stop big corporations from ripping off Canadians,” he said.
Mr. Singh mentioned the 2023 Canada Bread incident in which the company agreed to pay $50 million after admitting it colluded with a competitor to fix bread prices and said he has concerns that grocery stores and telecommunications companies are colluding to fix grocery and cell phone prices.
“The reality is, these changes are going to make life more affordable everyday for Canadians,” she said. “They’re going to make it more affordable to buy your groceries. They’re going to make your phone bill more affordable.”
Rogers, Bell, and Québecor did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment before press time.
