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Let’s be frank, we have all seen the rising cost of groceries at Canadian grocery stores and especially at Galen Weston-owned stores. Over the years, Loblaw Co. has cost Canadians billions as a result of their pandemic profiteering and greedflation. 

Galen Weston and the new Loblaw CEO, Per Bank want to drive a narrative that they aren't responsible for the price increases. Don't let them fool you. Weston and Bank have received millions in their compensation package. They are far exceeding expectations and have for months seen repeated quarterly increases in the company's stock price, and earnings. 

Food is a basic human right and Loblaw Co. and other big grocers across the country must come to understand this. Over 100,000 Canadians have signed this petition expressing frustration at the grocery industry and Loblaw Companies. Below are just some of the issues

1. Galen Weston Jr and Loblaw Co. own a grocery store within 10km of 90% of Canadians. 
2. In 2017, Loblaw Co. admitted to fixing the price of bread for over a decade. The bread price-fixing scheme cost Canadians an estimated $5 billion over 16 years. How did they make it right? They offered Canadians a $25 gift card for this and the competition bureau offered them immunity in exchange for their cooperation with the investigation.
3. According to Statistics Canada data, it shows that food retailers have earned about an extra $5 billion per year in net income since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic which is more than twice what they earned in 2019. Record profits as Canadians faced a global pandemic that saw so many of us lose our jobs and stretch every single dollar. How did Loblaw Co. treat their own workers? They robbed their workers of a $2-an-hour "hero" bonus in the middle of the pandemic. 
4. In the 3rd quarter of 2022, Loblaw Co. reported its profits had surged 30% and specifically cited high-margin items like beauty products and cold medication. Prices are rising faster than inflation is rising which is driving increased corporate profits.
5. Loblaw Co. has almost tripled its net earnings in the last 6 years during which Canadians faced a global pandemic and a cost of living crisis. 

All of this is happening while Galen Weston Jr is generating a ridiculous amount of wealth at the expense of Canadians. In 2021, Galen was paid a salary of $730,456, a $2,170,000 bonus and stocks valued at $2,470,000 million for a total compensation package of $5,370,456. This means that Galen Weston Jr made nearly 100x what the average Canadian made and nearly 184x the average store clerk. 

As Canadians struggled across the country, Loblaw recruited a new CEO, Per Bank who was paid over $22 million in 2023 for two months of work. His total compensation package per working hour is over 3000x more per hour than a minimum wage worker in one of his Alberta stores. 

Loblaw PR folks took to Twitter to attempt to gaslight Canadians who point the finger at Galen Weston Jr’s excessive corporate profits. To be blunt, Loblaw Co. has gotten away with robbing Canadians due to bad legislation regardless of how much gaslighting Loblaw Co. undertakes this won't change till parliament act. Parliament has failed to take legislative steps to prevent the exploitation of folks at the checkout line.

A basket of groceries shouldn't cost more than $100 and 5 chicken breasts certainly shouldn't cost $37. 

My name is Haruun Ali and I am a community organizer and 5th-year political science student. I have seen firsthand in my community the drastic effects that these massive costs have had. Over the past few months, myself and several activists have been calling out Loblaw-owned stores and other big grocers for these ridiculous prices.

I'm now fighting for legislative changes to the Competition Act and for legislation to prevent the further monopolization of Canadian grocery stores. I launched a parliamentary petition (e-4244) calling upon parliament to take action on Loblaw Co and Galen Weston Jr’s pandemic profiteering and greedflation. This petition received over 17,000 signatures from across the country and was presented in parliament by MP Blake Desjarlais. 

I’m asking for you to join me in calling upon parliament to take legislative action to not just investigate Loblaw Co. but to introduce legislation that will prevent the further monopolization of essential goods like groceries, telecommunications and more. These high grocery store prices are driving more Canadians to be forced to use the food bank. Food is an essential that every Canadian should be able to access in a dignified manner. 

For updates on my work on these legislative changes, feel free to follow me at @HaruunYEG on Twitter or Instagram.

Take a stand with me and demand parliament take action.