Canadian leader says profits should not be made ‘on the backs of people who are struggling to feed their families’.
Trudeau said the heads of the five largest supermarket chains, including Walmart and Costco, would be asked to come up with a plan to address rising prices before Thanksgiving.
Trudeau, who is facing questions about his leadership amid sagging public approval, also announced that sales tax would be waived for the construction of new rental apartments as part of measures to address cost-of-living concerns.
“If their plan doesn’t provide real relief for the middle class and people working hard to join it, then we will take further action, and we are not ruling anything out including tax measures,” Trudeau said at the end of a caucus retreat in London, Ontario, on Thursday.
Trudeau said it did not make sense that supermarket chains were making record profits at a time when many Canadians were struggling to make ends meet.
“Large grocery chains are making record profits,” he said. “Those profits should not be made on the backs of people who are struggling to feed their families.”