Industry Committee on June 3rd, 2024

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

Thank you, Mr. Singh.

Mr. Perkins.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

I want to go back to MP Singh. I want to go back to my question.

Did your brother meet with the CEO of Metro, yes or no?

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Can you repeat the question?

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Did your brother, who works for one of the largest lobbyist firms in Canada, meet with the CEO of Metro?

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

You know, it's really interesting. The Conservatives want to attack my family, but not the corporate greed of the CEOs of Metro, Loblaws and Sobeys. I wonder why.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

On April 1, 2025, the Prime Minister is going to increase the carbon tax again, which is jacking up the cost of everything, including food, which you seem to be concerned about, but unwilling to do anything about, other than a puffery bill here.

On April 1, 2025, when the carbon tax increases again, will you oppose that carbon tax increase, yes or no?

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

I think it's very telling that the Conservative member just called a bill that goes after bread price-fixing, goes after collusion and goes after large corporations ripping off Canadians a “puffery bill”. That is very insightful into the Conservatives' viewpoint of corporate greed.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

So the answer is no. You're not going to—

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

They think that stopping corporate greed.... I want Canadians to know this.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

[Inaudible—Editor]

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

I'm going to answer; I'm going to finish the question. I'm going to respond to your question.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

You are not going to stop the carbon tax.

You're taking longer than I asked.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Not at all. They specifically are referring to a bill that's going to take on corporate greed and stop what happened with the bread price-fixing, and he's referring to that as a “puffery bill”. That shows you where the Conservatives stand on this.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

I want to go back to the ethics, and the ethics issue.

Before you went out against the grocery companies, did you talk to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to inform them and get clearance because of your brother's role in defending and lobbying for Metro? Yes or no? Did you do that? Answer with a yes or no. Did you get clearance?

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

First of all, that's patently—

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Are you breaking the ethics laws?

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

First, that's patently false, and second, I've attacked the CEO of Loblaws, the CEO of Metro and the CEO of Sobeys. I've directly called them out for ripping off Canadians. I've not heard the Conservatives do that. I wonder why.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

You haven't gone to the Ethics Commissioner. That's what you're saying.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

I believe the reason is that the Conservatives have no interest in going after the real reason why Canadians are paying the highest prices for groceries, which is corporate greed—

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

It's because of the carbon tax and the budget that you continue to support—

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

They're going to ignore that, and note what they're willing to do: They're going to attack anyone else—

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

[Inaudible—Editor]—inflationary spending that you continue to support.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

Mr. Perkins, Mr. Singh, it's impossible to hear.

I think we can do better.

Mr. Perkins, the floor is yours.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

It would be nice to get a straight answer from you for once. You sound just like a Liberal minister.

Give me a yes or no answer: Did you talk to the Ethics Commissioner to deal with your obvious conflict of interest?

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

The thrust of your question is: Who am I attacking? I'm attacking the CEO of Metro. I'm attacking the CEO of Loblaws.