Branden Leslie, Portage—Lisgar
Linked statement
“Food costs too much for Canadian families. Grocery prices are up 33% since 2020, and a Thanksgiving dinner costs 10% more than last year. High fuel prices make it more expensive for farmers to grow food and truckers to move it, so families pay more at the checkout.”
“Madam Speaker, Thanksgiving used to be simple. We filled the table, squeezed in another chair and gave thanks that everyone was together. Families are now doing the math before they sit down. Can we afford the turkey? Do we need to skip something else? Do we invite fewer people, perhaps not the embarrassing uncle? Feeding everybody simply costs too much. This Thanksgiving, a turkey dinner will cost 10% more than last year. Since 2020, grocery prices have climbed by 33%. Families did not start eating one-third more. They are paying far more to put the same amount of food on the table. Those costs begin long before the grocery store. When fuel prices rise, farmers pay more to grow food, truckers pay more to move it, and families pay the difference at the checkout. There used to be a basic promise in this country, that if we work hard, we can put food on the table, fill the chairs around it and not worry about the cost. That should not be too much to ask here in Canada. Families are already cutting back. The only thing they should be cutting this Thanksgiving is a turkey.”
Madam Speaker, Thanksgiving used to be simple. We filled the table, squeezed in another chair and gave thanks that everyone was together. Families are now doing the math before they sit down. Can we afford the turkey? Do we need to skip something else? Do we invite fewer people, perhaps not the embarrassing uncle? Feeding everybody simply costs too much. This Thanksgiving, a turkey dinner will cost 10% more than last year. Since 2020, grocery prices have climbed by 33%. Families did not start eating one-third more. They are paying far more to put the same amount of food on the table. Those costs begin long before the grocery store. When fuel prices rise, farmers pay more to grow food, truckers pay more to move it, and families pay the difference at the checkout. There used to be a basic promise in this country, that if we work hard, we can put food on the table, fill the chairs around it and not worry about the cost. That should not be too much to ask here in Canada. Families are already cutting back. The only thing they should be cutting this Thanksgiving is a turkey.