Opinion: Keep political bitterness out of Canadian food

Some things are more apparent than real. If the price of food jumps by 15 or 20 percent due to rising global inflation, it is assumed the difference between today’s price and last year’s price is in someone’s pocket. But whose?

Canadian politicians have an opportunity to explain the components of food prices. The House of Commons has been holding hearings to examine food price inflation in the nation. About 45 people, from grocery chief executives to farmers, have sat before Parliament’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee since the end of November.

Each has described their piece of the grocery elephant. But will parliamentarians produce a report that tells the tale accurately and comprehensively?

For agriculture, the outcome of these hearings is a real chance for all Canadians to get a clearer picture of where their food comes from and the systems that take it from field to fork.