With regard to Statistics Canada (StatCan) and the note at the bottom of its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released in March 2022 mentioning changes to the way in which the average prices of 52 products sold in Canadian grocery stores are tracked and reported: (a) what specific changes is StatCan making; (b) on what dates are these changes being made; (c) which specific products are being removed from the list and which ones are being added; (d) will the historical reports still be available in a manner where the average prices can be compared to current prices, and, if not, why not; (e) what specific measures, if any, are being taken to ensure that Canadians can still compare the current CPI prices to those from prior years; (f) were these changes authorized or signed off by a minister or anyone in any government department, and, if so, what are the details, including, (i) the dates, (ii) who authorized or signed off on the changes; and (g) what measures will be in place to ensure that Canadians can compare the new CPI average prices with those prior to the current period of high inflation, rather than the current, already inflated prices?
In the House of Commons on May 17th, 2022. See this statement in context.