Thank you, Chair Carr.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to the witnesses.
I really enjoy speaking with you about your impressive work on behalf of Canadians. Thank you.
I want to talk about grocery prices and competition in that really important sector. We know that many factors are driving prices up at the grocery store. It could be because of supply chain issues, climate change or scarcity, but competition is among the reasons.
In 2023, the Competition Bureau released a study of the Canadian retail grocery market. You had four recommendations to improve competition in the grocery industry, including the growth of independent grocers and the entry of international grocers into the Canadian market. What is the progress on those four recommendations, and how are you working with policy-makers and industry to implement those recommendations to improve competition in the grocery space for Canadians?