David Eby says a re-elected BC NDP government would cap profit margins on essential foods and require per-unit pricing as part of efforts to lower grocery prices in B.C.
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Premier candidate David Eby says he would crack down on corporate price gouging and cap profits on everyday essential foods if a BC NDP government is re-elected.
Eby made the announcement at a press conference in Kelowna on Friday, Oct. 2, as B.C.’s snap provincial election campaign continues ahead of the Oct. 24 vote. He said B.C. has only five major grocery store chains and that the Weston and Pattison families, which respectively own Loblaws and Save On Foods, grew their combined wealth by $4.4 billion in 2025.
Eby said grocery prices are 27 per cent higher than they were five years ago, adding that families are being “squeezed every time they go to the store” as profits of grocery retailers rise.
The BC NDP said it would use a “price guard” to cap profit margins on essential food items including milk, eggs, cheese, butter and poultry.
The party also said it would mandate clear per-unit pricing as a way to intervene with “shrinkflation.”
In addition, the BC NDP said it would “level the playing field long-term” by banning real estate controls that it says stop competition between grocery stores and by banning surveillance pricing. It also said it would work with the federal government to establish a food terminal in the Lower Mainland so smaller grocers can buy wholesale and access competitive prices.
The BC NDP said the package of measures could save customers up to $700 per year. Eby said grocery prices are “a lot like housing” and that it would take “a bunch of steps” to lower the cost at the till.
The BC NDP noted that, over the past year, nearly 40 per cent of B.C. residents reported changing their eating habits to mitigate rising grocery prices, and that food bank use has increased, including among people with full-time jobs. It also said the campaign includes other promises since the snap provincial election was called Sept. 22, including saving the average driver $20 per gas tank fill-up by cutting provincial gas taxes and regulating oil and gas companies.
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