I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting No. 42 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food.
I will start with a few reminders. Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format. The proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website. Just so you are aware, the webcast will always show the person speaking, rather than the entirety of the committee.
Taking screenshots or photos of your screen is not permitted.
To our witnesses, as we have a couple joining us online.... Please direct your answers and the questions through the chair. Of course, for those who need translation, there's an ability to toggle between English and French.
Mr. Charlebois, I know you're bilingual, but you can also use this if you need it.
Colleagues, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Monday, November 21, 2022, the committee is resuming its study of food price inflation.
I would now like to welcome our witnesses for this first one-hour panel. With us today we have Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab and professor at Dalhousie University. From Loblaw Companies Limited, we have Jodat Hussain, senior vice president, retail finance. Joining us virtually, we have, from the Retail Council of Canada, Karl Littler, senior vice-president, public affairs.
Colleagues, you know the drill. We'll have five minutes for opening remarks, and then we will turn to questions. I'm going to start with Mr. Charlebois, who is in the room.
You have up to five minutes, sir. The floor is yours.