canada politics

Hi folks, I apologize for this off-topic update. This is an urgent situation. On June 29th, despite raising his hands and surrendering, the Edmonton Police Service shot and killed 28 year-old Mathios Arkangelo. 

Mathios was a son, father, spouse, brother, uncle, nephew, friend, and a cherished member of the Black community. He was a talented musician, a dedicated athlete, and a devoted family man who worked tirelessly to provide for and protect his loved ones. 

Over the past few weeks, I have been working with the Arkangelo family in getting justice for Mathios. We have shared the full 25-minute interaction that Mathios had with EPS. We also have attached here a copy of the timeline for those who don't want to see the violence that was inflicted upon Mathios. 

He had both of his hands raised and didn't deserve to die like this. If you can, please sign this petition with the family's demands calling for; the release of the autopsy report, the suspension of the involved officer, and a prompt investigation by ASIRT. 

If you can, please donate to help support the family by clicking here! 

Here's the link to the petition. 

A new parliamentary petition has been created by the Loblaw Boycott Organizer! Please sign this petition here! They are calling on parliament to take action in the following ways:

1. Implement strong anti-trust laws to prevent monopolistic practices in the food retail sector, including a rigorous scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions with the goal of ensuring they do not lead to increased market concentration;
2. Conduct thorough investigations into the pricing strategies of large food retailers, particularly focusing on allegations of price-fixing, collusion and “shrinkflation”;
3. Investigate and implement measures which promote fair competition in the food retail industry, including mandatory disclosure of supplier terms and pricing structures, and support for smaller independent food vendors who provide consumers with more options;
4. Provide resources and support to consumer protection agencies, enabling them to more adequately monitor anti-competitive behavior by large corporations;
5. Explore the possibility of implementing price controls or other regulatory mechanisms to prevent excessive price gouging on essential food items; and
6. Mandate Loblaws and Walmart to sign the Grocery Code of Conduct, and provide definitive, tangible consequences for refusal to sign.

These are important measures that will help Canadians and will address Canada's competition crisis. As a result of this petition, I won't be submitting the petition that we all co-created. Thank you to everyone who reached out and shared their perspectives and thoughts! 

I want to once again say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported this petition thus far. 

Last year, I created a parliamentary petition through an Alberta NDP MP, Blake Desjarlsis which received over 17,000 signatures and was read into the House of Commons. 

Since then, I have had hundreds of people reach out and share their experiences with food insecurity. As Canadians struggled, big corporations like Loblaw Co. not only met expectations but also exceeded them. This isn’t unique to the grocery industry. 

We all see the high prices of telecommunications and other key essential services. Canada has a monopoly problem. For years, the Federal Gov’t has done little to stop mergers such as Shaw-Roger or Loblaw-Shoppers Drug Mart. These mergers have resulted in the further concentration of wealth within the hands of Canada’s wealthiest while our communities struggle. 

So where do we go from here? 

Legislative change. By proposing tangible changes to existing legislation or new legislation, we can continue to advance our shared goal of affordability not just in the grocery industry but across industries. 

These are my suggested legislative changes to address our concerns 

1. Amend the Competition Act to stop monopolistic practices and guarantee fair pricing.
2. Enact new legislation requiring transparency in setting and monitoring grocery prices.
3. Empower the Competition Bureau to oversee and regulate pricing in markets with little competition.
4. Mandate grocery chains to publicly disclose their pricing strategies and profit margins.
5. Implement compulsory reporting for any price increases of staple goods, requiring a justification for each increase.
6. Set price ceilings on essential staple foods to keep them affordable, with regular adjustments based on inflation and market changes.
7. Enhance consumer protection laws regarding food advertising, labelling, and pricing to prevent misleading practices.
8. Support the NDP’s proposal for a tax on windfall profits.

I want to hear your thoughts on these updated priorities so I have created this form for you to suggest ideas and let me know your thoughts. 

Throughout the summer, this will be my main advocacy focus so I will be sending out more updates on the next steps but I’m truly hopeful that with a united coalition, we will be successful. 

Together, we will hold big corporations and our politicians accountable and we will fight for real legislative action to address our concerns. 

Thanks,

Haruun Ali