Human Resources Committee on Oct. 29th, 2026

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

We've talked a lot about fresh food, so to wrap up, I want to ask you this: Do you have one or two pieces of advice to help lower the amount of ultra-processed high-calorie foods in people's diets? I have only a few seconds left.

[Erin Gowriluk]

With respect to the Canadian diet and processed foods, it's about balance. They serve a purpose and an important role in Canadians' lives. We talked about the need to preserve and create shelf-stable products that are available to consumers. There's a convenience factor as well.

I think they're an important component of the overall Canadian diet.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Larouche.

For the final round, we'll begin with Mr. Genuis for five minutes.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses who are with us for this hour.

I'm going to direct my questions to Ms. Gowriluk.

I think all of us are concerned about high food prices and want food to cost less. There are some people in this Parliament who, for ideological reasons, want fuel prices to be higher. Is there any way to achieve...?

I think the objective of some people—not me, but some others—is having higher fuel prices while having lower food prices. Is that possible?

[Erin Gowriluk]

I think we're in a very unique moment in time as a country. Right now, there is this incredible sense of urgency coupled with a real sense of optimism in terms of what we can do as a country. We can control what we can control, and there are various factors that are simply out of our control.

When I think about recommendations that we would put forward to the federal government, they're about what we can do as a Canadian government to improve the conditions for Canadian businesses, like the members we represent.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I'm sorry. It was a specific question.

Is it possible to increase fuel prices while lowering food prices, or is it inevitable that if fuel prices go up, food prices will go up as well?

[Erin Gowriluk]

Fuel prices are one component of the overall costs that we're looking at. I think it was your colleague who cited a number of different factors that contribute to the overall cost of manufacturing food in Canada, and fuel is one.

It is for that reason we've joined the coalition requesting that there be a temporary rebate put in place for the distribution and manufacturing of food in Canada—it's a 50¢-per-litre rebate on diesel and marine diesel—to ease the cost burden and ensure that we don't see food prices increase beyond where they currently are.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I think it's a fair clarification that there are other factors that influence the price of food. Fuel is one of those factors. Is that fair enough? Yes. Okay.

Can I ask you about countertariffs, in the context of the trade dispute with the United States? Are there particular countertariffs that are impacting food prices?

[Erin Gowriluk]

At this moment in time, no.

The Canadian response, I think, was fairly measured with respect to ensuring that the countertariffs we were in a position to put onto the United States would not have a direct impact on the cost of everyday essentials for Canadians. That was a conversation our association initiated in 2025 after the first round, and that was clearly communicated. We were pleased to see the government's response to ensure that those everyday essentials continue to be tariff-free.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Okay. Thank you.

To go back to the question of diesel prices, could you lay out specifically the policy proposal you'd like to see us perhaps put into a recommendation coming out of this study, in terms of diesel prices? I'm curious about having a recommendation for the short term, based on your projection of the short term, but also longer-term changes you'd like to see in terms of how we structure taxes on fuel and other things.

[Erin Gowriluk]

Our recommendation at this point is to offer a temporary reduction at 50¢ per litre on diesel and marine diesel used to manufacture and distribute food. That would be put in place as a temporary measure until the cost of fuel comes down.

That's the position we articulated in the letter to the Prime Minister at this point.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

It's until the price of diesel comes down. You haven't tied it to a specific timeline. You've said, “based on a price”. Are you saying that the tax should change in relation to the price in general? If the price goes up, the tax goes down to take off the pressure. Would that make sense as a longer-term policy to say that the tax goes down when the price reaches a certain point?

[Erin Gowriluk]

Yes, and I would invite Mr. Lemaire to comment on that as well, if he can. He's part of the coalition that we have joined. However, I think, to your point with respect to how long this will go on, no one has that insight, and so it would be relief as long as it is required.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Okay.

Please go ahead, Mr. Lemaire.

[Ron Lemaire]

This is not to be built in as a subsidy. This is to be built in as a temporary measure, as was noted. Yes, if we start seeing fuel prices go down, we'd be looking at a variable change in the rebate. We're also asking to see whether the excise tax can be continued at the current level that it's being delivered, because there was a reduction on the excise tax. That will change again in the new year, so we're asking for that to be pushed forward to the end of 2027.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

You have 10 seconds.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Chair, I want to raise a point of order on something else. If you are going to do another round for the Liberals, maybe I can bring it up after. Why don't you go to them, and then give me a chance to do that at the end of the meeting?

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you. Your time is up.

I go to Madam Desrochers to conclude.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'll be sharing my time with my colleague Emma Harrison.

Talking about ideology, I want to start my questions with Dr. Rachel Engler-Stringer.

Our colleagues from the opposition have called the national school food program handouts that impact the dignity and the self-esteem of people, and they've consistently voted against them. However, your research seems to indicate that it has a positive impact on success for kids in school—staying in school, paying more attention and, presumably, success later in life. I know we may not have longitudinal data yet. Can you talk about that? Also, what could we do collectively as a society across party lines to remove the stigma associated with supporting our families that are in a precarious situation? We could all be in precarious situations at any point in our lives.

[Dr. Rachel Engler-Stringer]

The way I think about school food programs is in the context of daily life. Children deserve to have access to the best possible education. If we want to look at what has an impact on lifetime earnings, what has an impact on what children will become as they grow older, having the best possible education is really one of the greatest tools we have as a society to do that. Investing in children means ensuring that the education system is one in which they can fully participate.

I often say, as I said before, that the thing about school food is that it's actually not only a problem for low-income families; it's a problem for all families. Anyone in this room who has children, who is the primary person who prepares those lunches to pack for their kid for school, has the same issue that they face every day, which is that eating at school is actually very challenging. There are all kinds of problems that make it very difficult for kids to eat well during the school day.

Why are we not creating the same systems that exist, literally, in all of our comparator countries minus a handful, where they've recognized that the best way for kids to have the best possible education is to ensure that they eat at school every day? That does not mean it has to be free for every family. There are many countries—some of the best examples are France and Japan—where parents do contribute a portion of the cost. It's simply about creating the best possible system.

Now, you did ask a second question. What was the second question?

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

It's about removing the stigma.

[Dr. Rachel Engler-Stringer]

The way to do that is by offering it to all children. That's how you remove the stigma. If you target it, then parents don't want their children to participate, and then you end up with the quality getting worse. I mean, there are all sorts of problems with that. We need to have programs that are offered to absolutely all children. Like I said, it doesn't have to be free for all children.

Our Atlantic provinces have pioneered the pay-what-you-can example, and that could be something that could be rolled out across the country.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Thank you very much.

[Emma Harrison, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Thank you.

Mr. Lemaire, you won't be surprised by this, but one of my biggest goals as a member of Parliament, or just as a human being, is to make sure everyone has access to safe and nutritious food. We have the most incredible producers, and we have the capabilities to do so. The thing I would say I'm most passionate about is equity access to food.

You've talked a bit about BRM programs, which we talked about at length at the agriculture committee, which goes to Ms. Larouche's comments about climate change and adaptation. I don't know whether you have this information, but have you seen that we changed some parameters around tax incentives for a greenhouse? Has there been interest in the 100% capital cost allowance? Have you seen an uptake or an interest in developing more greenhouse growing?

[Ron Lemaire]

Of course there is an interest in growth, and all the tools are important to see and fuel that growth. The current investment by the government of $750 million in greenhouse expansion is also going to add to that.

We're at a unique point in time. I've been in the fruit and vegetable industry since 1998. Since that time, I've never seen an investment in agri-food and food, and it's encouraging.

Looking at the food terminal and looking at the opportunity for growth are fundamental at this point in time. We're at a peak that I'm excited about.