The Ford government has defeated an attempt from the NDP to make grocery stores label made-in-Ontario products and items imported from the United States.
On Wednesday, the NDP tabled an opposition motion at Queen’s Park to push for the government to support rules for retailers on how they label locally-sourced products.
The motion would have also told grocery stores they must clearly add labels to inform people when prices have increased substantially.
“It’s simple, we will require grocery giants like Loblaws and Sobeys to clearly label when a product is made in Ontario or imported from the U.S. — so you can choose Ontario and strengthen Ontario,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said before the motion was defeated.
The party also pushed the motion as a test of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s suggestion that he would work with opposition parties in the face of tariffs.
As the legislative session has got underway, however, he has turned down the idea of a cross-party working group on tariffs, and there have been few concrete examples of tariff decisions where the NDP, Liberals or Greens have been given serious input.
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On Wednesday, before his party voted against the motion, Ford dismissed it as pointless.
“The market’s already doing it, they’ve been doing it for ages,” Ford said at a news conference. “I don’t know where they’re coming up with this, maybe they don’t shop in local stores.”
Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Stephen Crawford claimed the NDP suggestion could make it harder for people to do business.
“We do not want to burden both the people and the small businesses in this province with overregulation, which will complicate their lives and make life more difficult,” he said during question period.
Stiles shot back at the government, which is introducing a once-yearly Buy Ontario day. She said her motion would be a more long-lasting way to support local producers.
“We want to choose Ontario-made products, we want to choose Canadian-made products,” she said on Wednesday.
“They want their money going to their communities, not to American companies. That’s why I’ve proposed a motion to support people to choose Ontario and strengthen Ontario next time they’re at the grocery store.”
Opposition day motions are generally more symbolic than effective, as they require government support to pass and be acted on.
The government voted to defeat the move on Wednesday afternoon.
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