Mr. Speaker, I am happy to participate in the debate on the Conservative motion in relation to the action the government is taking to address food affordability and ensure that all Canadians have access to affordable food and other daily essential goods.
Our government believes that food affordability is a serious issue facing all Canadians today. Canadians are not experiencing inflation as a statistic; they are experiencing it in their grocery stores. This is the reason our focus has been to deliver on our commitment to improving affordability, with a strong focus on relieving the financial pressure Canadians are experiencing.
Our government has been actively engaged in and is committed to improving affordability for all Canadians, with a view to alleviating the financial stress they are experiencing. We introduced in Parliament Bill C-4, the making life more affordable for Canadians act, which would legislate a middle-class tax cut so dual-income households can save approximately $800 a year. Bringing down costs for Canadians is central to our plan outlined in the Speech from the Throne. This tax relief would benefit nearly 22 million Canadians and would help them keep more of their hard-earned paycheques to spend wherever it matters most to them.
We are also very mindful that addressing the growing cost of essential goods, including groceries, requires a strong consumer advocacy sector as well as timely and independent research on consumer issues. That is why our government has taken measures to invest in consumer advocacy work. The Canadian consumer protection initiative has enabled independent research in order to gain insights on retail pricing practices such as shrinkflation and skimpflation in the grocery sector. In a recent call focused on food, priority topics included affordability, sustainable consumption, barriers to competition in the grocery sector and consumer protection against junk fees and price gouging. In addition to independent research, this program supports the creation of resources to raise awareness about food, especially when it comes to sustainability issues.
In providing further funding for consumer advocacy, we are ensuring that consumer interest organizations are supported to meaningfully advocate for Canadians. Priority topics such as affordability, sustainable consumption, barriers to competition in the grocery sector and consumer protection against junk fees and price gouging were all identified as key priorities in its latest open call for proposals. With these priorities top of mind, a funded project from a previous call supported a national consumer movement that reached Canadians from coast to coast to coast, offering practical tools to decode grocery pricing strategies and empowering consumers to make informed choices at the checkout.
Our government has continued to reiterate its commitments to providing Canadians with the tools and data they need to make informed choices in the marketplace. Our government has made it a priority to maintain the food price data hub to give Canadians up-to-date and detailed information on food prices to help them make informed decisions about their grocery options. Additionally, the government's grocery affordability web page aims to create greater transparency around pricing to foster competition and help consumers increase their confidence in participating in marketplaces.
Most recently, the food price data hub published the latest consumer price index, CPI, data for August 2025, which indicates that inflation for groceries has fallen from a peak of 11.4% in January 2023 to 3.5% in August 2025. This means Canadians have seen a decline in food inflation since January 2023. While this is an encouraging trend, the Government of Canada continues to work hard to address affordability issues and take action to improve food affordability for all Canadians.
We have made headway in attaining the food price stability Canadians need and deserve. To ensure they continue to pay fair prices for groceries, we will maintain our efforts in funding the work of the organizations that advocate for their rights and the protection of their interests. We will continue to make sure that Canadians have the information they need to make informed choices at the grocery store. We will take action to improve competition and will hold companies accountable in the process.
That is why, in recent years, the Government of Canada has modernized the Competition Act, making amendments that affect how the Competition Bureau can investigate anti-competitive conduct and deceptive marketing. For example, making changes to the act requires that vendors be more truthful in their advertising, recognizing that displaying prices without additional fees included is a form of dishonesty. This practice of drip pricing makes it more difficult for consumers to make price comparisons and find the best value and punishes vendors that are more up front with the actual cost of goods.
In addition, amendments to the Competition Act through Bill C-56, the Affordable Housing and Groceries Act, will affect how the Competition Bureau can examine potentially anti-competitive arguments such as controls on the use of commercial real estate. The widespread use of competitive property controls can make it more difficult for firms to enter new markets or expand, reducing the choices available to Canadians consumers. Since these amendments passed, we have seen a number of concessions by major grocers, such as willingly removing some of the controls they had in place and opening up those markets. These are clear wins for both Canadian consumers and prospective new entrants in the grocery retail market.
We are aware, however, that food price stabilization can occur only when there is co-operation. This requires the complete engagement of the entire supply chain. Our engagement with industry has been focused on ensuring the continuous improvement of food affordability.
Through continued collaboration with provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture and widespread industry engagement, we were pleased to announce that in July 2024, all the large grocery retailers committed to the grocery sector code of conduct. The code is a positive step toward uniting supply chain partners under a set of ground rules and bringing more fairness, transparency and predictability to Canada's grocery supply chain and to consumers.
We recognize that global and external pressures like tariffs imposed by the United States are also contributing to cost and pricing increases that affect consumers, workers and businesses in Canada. These pressures reinforce the importance of a coordinated, long-term approach to food affordability and economic resilience. We will continue to work to develop a strong consumer advocacy culture and ensure that Canadians are equipped with the tools they need to navigate food prices and make sound purchasing decisions.
Our government remains dedicated to investigating harmful practices impacting Canadians, ensuring continued collaboration in areas of joint jurisdiction with provincial and territorial colleagues responsible for consumer protection, working to strengthen competition in Canada's grocery sector and continuing to provide Canadians with accurate and timely information on food pricing in Canada.