Is a grocery rebate a grocery rebate if the rebate isn't tied to groceries? The Canadian federal budget has called for a grocery rebate targeted to 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians and families. The total of the rebate would reach $467 for eligible couples with children; $234 for single Canadians without children; and $225 for seniors, on average.
The money would show up as a one-time rebate through the goods and services tax (GST) rebate system.
Our American readers might wonder why the [bleep] we are writing about an initiative in Canada instead of the United States. The Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives so there will be no bills concerning high food prices unless the Dems win back control in the fall of 2024. Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party (centrist party) has a minority federal government with help from the left of centre (center) New Democratic Party.
A bit of money will help but if you think grocery store prices are bad in the United States now, Canadians generally pay a lot more for groceries in their country in urban places such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montréal. Rural places pay even more, whether that be Atlantic Canada or places such as Nunavut.
$467 will help a family in Toronto but not as much in Iqlauit, the capital of Nunavut.
Still, some grocery help is better than zero help. Yes, we are looking at the GOP-controlled House.
About That from CBC News Explore is part of a new trend in TV journalism going online and ideally delving more in depth with explaining the impact of the grocery rebate in Canada. Anchor Andrew Chang uses the whiteboard to go through the numbers and the significance of Canadians' personal budgets.
The U.S. has 24-hour cable news channels, 2 of which broadcast actual news. Steve Kornacki of MSNBC would have fun with a whiteboard but again, U.S. federal politics won't introduce anything new to help food prices until at least 2025.
CTV News also broke down elements of the grocery rebate, such as how Canadians would spend the money and answering questions about the rebate itself.
Besides high grocery prices, Canada also suffers from a monopoly on major grocery stores in Canada. The United States has had a wide-open regional battle that brings prices down. The Kroger-Albertsons merger will make things worse in the United States.
Comparison shopping helps you pay less for groceries, provided you have the energy and time to pull this off.
The Backbench podcast had an episode on soaring food costs. The Commons podcast delved into that monopoly and how the Competition Bureau is more of a theory than a relevant force.
Make the switch from grocery store eggs to eggs from local farmers
Shopping for vegetables is a reality, not a political stunt
You can reduce food costs despite inflation
Appreciate quality in grocery staples when shopping
Think food prices are high? Try the northern territories of Canada
The grocery rebate is psychological. The government is doing something. Are they addressing the virtual monopoly of Canadian grocery stores? Are they making grocery store CEOs nervous with threats of diversifying their dominance? No and no. They are offering a token amount of money.
I took advantage of a $25 gift card to my local grocery store. This would have had more value in 2020 or even 2022. Still, $25 made a difference. I did spend more but I will eat all of the food I bought. Psychologically, this was a boost. A reminder of the wonderful gift I got that I could definitely use.
I still have a gift card for food delivery. That is out of my comfort zone since I tend to cook more. Grocery store prices still don't compare to the cost of eating out, even these days.
Qu'ils mangent de la brioche | Let them eat cake
When I visited Paris a few years back, I was struck with how cheap baguettes were. They were amazing in taste and texture yet they were relatively cheap.
The French society incorporates that philosophy to this day, making sure bread is accessible to everyone.
The cheap food in the United States and Canada is usually made with high-fructose corn syrup and poor quality ingredients, which further amplifies the struggles of basic nutrition in countries where people have trouble buying even cheap groceries.
BalanceofFood.com Canada food policy coverage
$467 or $234 is like fixing a pothole in the spring. Nice but the potholes will come back. Better government leadership would address long-term society solutions. A grocery rebate will fix that pothole in Canada while Americans have a GOP-lead House who won't acknowledge those potholes exist.
video and photo credit: CBC News Explore
Comments