(MISSISSAUGA, ON) August 30, 2022 – Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP) today called upon Quebec political candidates and party leaders to prioritize the essential food, health, and consumer product manufacturing sectors employing more than 69,000 Quebecers at more than 1700 establishments across the province.

Major constraints impede Quebec’s potential in these essential sectors and threaten food and grocery supplies. These constraints include skyrocketing costs of doing business, unnecessarily burdensome regulations, unfair fines and fees imposed by large grocers, lack of access to self-care tools and resources, as well as worsening labour and skills gaps.

Commenting on the upcoming Quebec election, FHCP CEO Michael Graydon said:

“Quebec supplies some of the most important products and ingredients in the country, and in some cases the world. Unfortunately, long-standing issues threaten the health of Quebec’s critical supply chains and thousands of essential jobs.

It’s time that government step up to strengthen Quebec’s future by prioritizing essential manufacturing that provides the products Quebecers, Canadians, and families around the world rely on every day. We cannot let another year of unforeseen challenges and impediments impact the long-term health of Quebec as one of Canada’s agricultural and food powerhouses.”

FHCP’s election platform calls on political candidates and party leaders to:

• Implement a legislated Grocery Supply Code of Practice that prevents large grocery retailers from imposing unilateral changes, fees, and fines on suppliers. Unfair practices by the five large grocers who control more than 80% of grocery and drug store sales pose a serious threat to ‘Made in Canada’ manufacturing, as well as to Canadian farmers.
• Adopt a National Self-Care Strategy that supports investment and innovation in self-care as a complement to the publicly-funded healthcare system. According to the World Health Organization, strengthening self-care reduces costs and increases healthcare quality, access, and equity.
• Support a circular economy for plastics. Industry and government share the goals of building a circular economy and efficiently transitioning Quebec’s Blue Box program to full producer responsibility. To achieve these goals, industry requires the support and collaboration of a proactive, engaged partner in a government committed to keeping plastics in the economy but out of the environment, creating new domestic jobs, reducing emissions, and eliminating value lost from unrecovered materials.

Press contact: For media inquiries please contact pressinquiries@fhcp.ca.

About Food, Health, and Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP)

FHCP is the voice of the Canadian food, health products, beverage and consumer products industry, which directly employs more than 350,000 workers in over 10,000 manufacturing facilities from coast to coast. The sector contributes more than $40 billion annually to Canada’s economy and provides safe, high-quality products found in virtually every home in Canada.  

For more information, visit www.OnEveryShelf.ca.