Ontario’s NDP wants to make it easier for shoppers to identify made-in-Ontario or Canada products.
Marit Stiles proposes legislation forcing large grocers to clearly label items and post when prices suddenly rise.
“So that means that if a product’s price jumps up more than 2% in one week, mark it. If a store can label a sale, it can label a price hike,” says Stiles.
Stiles says small and medium-sized stores would be exempt because it is easier to obtain information about the origins of their products.
Premier Doug Ford dismisses the idea, saying stores are already doing labelling on their own.
Stiles says it is a simple way of fighting back against the impact U.S. trade tariffs will have on the province’s economy.
“Our motion gives people the right to know and the power to choose. It protects household budgets. It keeps jobs and dollars in our communities.”
Stiles says 76% of Canadians now buy more local products in response to the trade war, while 85% have decided to switch away from U.S. goods.
“And when the ground starts to shake, Ontarians want to stand on solid ground. So this motion is one way to build that.”
Debate on the NDP’s motion took place on Wednesday.
