SoVote

Gabriel Ste-Marie

Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
Bloc Québécois

Joliette
Quebec
Voting Attendance: 68%
Expenses Last Quarter: $132,165.46

Government Page

Context: House Hansard - 254 - Nov/23/23

Nov/23/23 10:52:18 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-56

Mr. Speaker, that is a very good question. Bill C‑56 amends the Competition Act. This should have been done at least 20 years ago. If we look at what was happening in 1986, we see that there were 13 major players. As my colleague said, now there are only three. That number goes up to five if we include the two big American retailers that sell groceries, Walmart and Costco. These five companies form an oligopoly that controls 80% of the market. The Governor of the Bank of Canada told the Standing Committee on Finance that the problem is that there is no competition in that market because they are able to pass on 100% of the increase in input costs to consumers without reducing their profits. The competition is not working. Bill C‑56, when implemented, will prevent further issues in the long run, but it will not automatically restore a competitive market ecosystem in the food sector. Major challenges will remain. There is still a lot to do. Reducing food inflation requires many micro-interventions involving farmers, primary processors, and so on. It is a complex challenge, but there is certainly room for intervention in terms of large retailers that constitute an oligopoly. Bill C‑56 is a step in the right direction, but it is not the only solution.

229 words

Context: House Hansard - 254 - Nov/23/23

Mr. Gabriel Ste-Marie

Nov/23/23 10:47:50 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her kind words. I feel the same way about her. It is always a pleasure to listen to her speeches, for which she does a lot of research. I want to specify that, when it comes to the oligopoly in the food sector, passing Bill C‑56 will prevent the situation from getting worse, but it will not bring back the competition there used to be. Taxing the excess profits of giants in these situations may be very useful, and we are in favour in principle, as we have said often. Obviously, this needs to be done scrupulously to respect the rights of these companies. When it is conclusively established that they have excess profits, we have to be able to tax them.

132 words

Context: House Hansard - 109 - Oct/6/22

Mr. Gabriel Ste-Marie (Joliette, BQ)

Oct/6/22 4:14:01 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. With regard to possible collusion in the food distribution industry, we know that the industry is an oligopoly of five giants that control 90% of the market. These giants can easily agree amongst themselves to negotiate for low prices with agricultural producers or set high prices when selling to consumers. The motion alludes to this indirectly. I believe my favourite part of the motion is the one about asking the Competition Bureau to launch an investigation of the industry, of these giants, to check for collusion and excessive profits, a bit like what was done in England with the British Parliament. What does my colleague think of that?

117 words

Context: House Hansard - 109 - Oct/6/22

Mr. Gabriel Ste-Marie

Oct/6/22 12:08:33 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. When it comes to the work of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, we should draw inspiration from what the British Parliament is doing. We know that the food distribution sector is an oligopoly. Do its members engage in reprehensible practices? Did they take advantage of their position and increase profits off the backs of the thousands of farmers who compete with each other or the millions of consumers who buy their products? Was there collusion that would explain these excessive profits? The Competition Bureau should look into this. The British Parliament has given that mandate to its competition bureau. As stated in this motion, the Competition Bureau should be given the mandate to study whether there is collusion that resulted in excessive profits, and then we can intervene. It is our duty to give this mandate to the Competition Bureau.

155 words

SoVote

Member of Parliament

Gabriel Ste-Marie