Report From Parliament Hill

Eric Melillo, MP, Kenora—Kiiwetinoong

Dear Constituents 

Two years ago, the Liberal finance minister claimed food prices would stabilize “soon”. In a similar vein, the Prime Minister—just under a year ago—proudly stated that he should be judged by the prices at the grocery store. Now, Canadians face the highest food inflation in the G7, and the average family of four will expect to pay $1000 more for groceries this year than last. This has led to 2 million Canadians visiting a food bank each month.
For northern and rural communities like ours, food inflation hits especially hard. Transportation costs, fuel prices, supply chain challenges, and the inconsistency of northern travel mean we often pay more than our big-city counterparts. These high prices are amplified by federal policies like the industrial carbon tax that is applied on items such as farm equipment, fertilizer, and food processors—which drive up the cost of producing food. Fuel standard taxes also hurt Canadian wallets by adding to the cost of fuel for farming machinery and the transportation of food from farm to store. On top of that, the food packaging tax is estimated to cost Canadians $1.3 billion. All these costs are paid by Canadians at the grocery store.
We need to take a serious look at the policies that increase costs at every stage of the supply chain, from the farm to the processors all the way to transportation to our local grocery stores. It means reducing unnecessary taxes and regulatory burdens that make it more expensive to produce and move food within Canada. Conservatives have been clear: we are prepared to work constructively and collaboratively with the government to address these out-of-control food prices.
Our Conservative team has proposed practical steps, including removing these hidden taxes that impact food prices, to tackle the affordability crisis. Instead of working with us, the Liberals voted against our plan that would deliver affordable food to Canadians.
Conservatives will continue to work in a spirit of collaboration to help those struggling with these out-of-control costs and bring relief to Canadians. That’s why we worked with the government to help expedite Bill C-19, which provides a minor boost to the GST credit. But this isn’t a solution. It is only a band-aid. The majority of Canadians will get nothing from the GST rebate, and this Trudeau-era policy will provide what amounts to less than $5 a week in savings.
Canadians shouldn’t fear approaching the cashier at a grocery store or looking at their bank account before a trip to the store. Conservatives are ready to get to work and collaborate to solve this crisis, and we’ll continue working to deliver affordable food and groceries to all Canadians.
Working for You
If you’re visiting Ottawa and would like to take a tour of Parliament, please get in touch. My office would be happy to help you reserve tour tickets.
As always, if there is anything my office can assist you with, please call me at 807-223-2182 (Dryden) or 807-468-2170 (Kenora) or email me at [email protected].
Sincerely, 
Eric Melillo 
Member of Parliament 
Kenora—Kiiwetinoong