Mr. Speaker, three years ago the Liberal finance minister promised Canadians that he would stabilize food prices. Well, he failed.
Since that promise, lettuce is up 40%, beef is up 27%, and baby formula is up 13%. While Liberals excuse their failure as a global phenomenon, the facts tell a different story. Canada now leads the G7 in food inflation. It is double what it was when the Prime Minister took office and twice the U.S. rate. The result is that Canadians are forced to make 2.2 million visits to food banks every month. Food bank usage has more than doubled under the Liberals.
Now the finance minister is offering another temporary rebate that will not lower the price of a single grocery item. That is not a long-term solution; it is an admission of failure with no plan to pay for it.
Let us be clear, food price inflation is a Liberal, homegrown, made-in-Canada crisis. Conservatives have a plan: axe the industrial carbon tax, scrap the fuel standards that is adding 17¢ a litre and increase competition in grocery chains. Will the Liberals drop the excuses, stop obstructing Parliament and support a real food affordability plan, or will they keep serving up Liberal rhetoric on empty plates?