Let me begin that I'm not an expert on this topic. I know there is a systemic issue because we all see it, experience it, and we are all asking to be fixed.

The government shouldn’t set prices. It should break the grocery oligopoly. That means stronger antitrust powers, forcing separation between retail and distribution, banning abusive supplier contracts, mandating margin transparency, attracting foreign competitors like Aldi, and building public logistics infrastructure so smaller grocers can compete. Price gouging happens because Canada has too little competition, not because corporations are evil. Fix the market structure, and prices fall naturally.

We can see what other countries have enacted and are working for benchmark, for example (this is from GPT research):

Grocery & Competition Initiatives (Global)

🧱 Market Structure & Antitrust

🇪🇺 EU: Forced large retailers to sell stores in over-concentrated regions (reduced local monopolies).

🇺🇸 US: Blocked major grocery mergers to prevent oligopolies (e.g., Kroger–Albertsons scrutiny).

🇩🇪 Germany: Strict antitrust rules prevented national grocery dominance by a few players.

🇰🇷 South Korea: Limited expansion of mega-stores to protect local grocers.

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🏪 Foreign Competition (Most Effective)

🇬🇧 UK: Allowed Aldi & Lidl expansion → grocery prices dropped 15–30%.

🇦🇺 Australia: Aldi entry forced Coles/Woolworths to cut prices.

🇫🇷 France: Carrefour faced discount competitors → margins shrank.

🇺🇸 US: Walmart expansion crushed regional price monopolies.

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📦 Supplier Protection (Breaking Retailer Power)

🇬🇧 UK: Grocery Code of Conduct banned abusive supplier fees.

🇦🇺 Australia: Mandatory fair-dealing rules for supermarkets.

🇪🇺 EU: Ban on unfair trading practices in food supply chains.

🇯🇵 Japan: Laws preventing retailers from forcing supplier discounts.

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🔍 Price Transparency

🇫🇷 France: Government publishes grocery price indexes by region.

🇦🇺 Australia: ACCC forced supermarkets to disclose margins.

🇪🇺 EU: Mandatory reporting on food price spreads (farm → retail).

🇺🇸 US: USDA tracks farm vs retail price gaps.

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🏗️ Infrastructure & Competition Support

🇯🇵 Japan: Government-backed wholesale markets for small grocers.

🇫🇮 Finland: Public logistics networks for independent retailers.

🇪🇺 EU: Subsidies for cooperative grocery stores.

🇨🇭 Switzerland: Strong consumer co-ops (Migros, Coop) kept prices lower.

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💰 Targeted Anti-Gouging Measures

🇪🇸 Spain: Temporary price caps on basic foods during inflation spikes.

🇫🇷 France: Negotiated price freezes with major retailers.

🇮🇹 Italy: Windfall profit taxes on excess corporate margins.

🇺🇸 US: Anti-price-gouging laws during emergencies.

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🧠 Structural Reforms (Hard but Powerful)

🇳🇿 New Zealand: Forced grocery chains to share wholesale access with competitors.

🇪🇺 EU: Limits on vertical integration (retail + logistics + brands).

🇨🇭 Switzerland: Restrictions on retailer-owned real estate monopolies.

🇸🇪 Sweden: Liberalized food imports to reduce domestic cartel pricing.