Consultation Document Poll
The stakeholder consultation is now closed.
Introduction
On November 27, 2020, the Ministers discussed the concerns of processors, producers, and independent grocers regarding increased retailer fees on suppliers and the need for balance in the supplier-retailer relationship, while also ensuring that Canadians continue to have access to a reliable grocery supply at affordable prices. Federal, Provincial, and Territorial (FPT) governments agreed that collaborative action was the best approach.
On July 2021, FPT Ministers called for an industry-led process to develop broad consensus around a concrete proposal to improve transparency, predictability, and respect for the principles of fair dealing within the supplier/retailer relationship.
Following the July 2021 announcement, a Steering Committee comprised of individuals from ten key stakeholder associations was convened with the goal of developing terms of reference and a work plan aimed at facilitating the development of a formal Grocery Industry Code of Conduct. Progress updates were presented to the FPT Ministers on December 17, 2021, March 31, 2022, July 21, 2022, November 2022, and January 2023.
Steering Committee Members April 2023
- Michael Graydon / Food Health & Consumer Products – Co-Chair
- Diane J. Brisebois / Retail Council of Canada – Co-Chair
- Denise Allen / Food Producers of Canada
- Sylvie Cloutier / CTAQ
- Mathieu Frigon / Dairy Processors Association of Canada
- Scott Ross / Canadian Federation of Agriculture
- Gary Sands / Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers
- Ron Lemaire / Canadian Produce Marketing Association
- Rebecca Lee / Fruit & Vegetable Growers of Canada
- Stephanie Levasseur / UPA
Following the writing of the Terms of Reference and work plan, the Steering Committee established a cross-industry Working Group made up of individuals with greater depth of industry expertise to provide perspectives and practical design advice based on their on-the-ground knowledge of the industry.
The Industry Working Group provided expert perspectives and recommendations related to issues such as defining scope, defining agreements, payments, deductions, fines and fees, reporting directly to the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee and Working Group reached consensus on the objectives and principles for the Code of Conduct.
As Code development continued through the late summer and early fall, it was determined that the Working Group activity would be further supported by a representative sub-group (comprised of eight members from the broader working group) empowered to further refine these provisions in support of full Code development. This group was very effective, collaborative and this process yielded significant, positive results.
Industry Sub-Working Group Members April 2023
- Serge Boulanger -Metro
- Errol Cerit – FHCP
- Patrice Léger Bourgoin – APM Québec
- Doug Nathanson – Sobeys
- Luc Prevost – Vegpro
- Mark Taylor- Lactalis
- Giancarlo Trimarchi – Vince’s Market
- James Crosby – Crosby Molasses
The Steering Committee continues to work with legal counsels and many other experts, including the Industry Sub-Committee Working Group, to inform and guide the Committee to arrive at a final version of the Grocery Industry Code of Conduct.
Why Are We Consulting?
The associations members of the steering committee represent a broad spectrum of the grocery industry supply chain and have worked to ensure the views and interests of our complex grocery system have been considered.
The Steering Committee has two distinct consultation objectives:
The first is to inform the grocery sector at large of the process we have undertaken, the progress made, and the draft Code that has emerged.
Secondly and most importantly, we must determine if we have missed anything significant as we have strived to develop a “Made in Canada” Code to address the critical needs all parties to the Code, while adhering to the current Canadian legislative framework including the Competition Act, and staying true to the principles of transparency and certainty, fair dealing across the value chain, timely dispute resolution, and simplicity.
Who is the Focus of the Consultation?
The Steering Committee is committed to consulting with grocery industry supply chain stakeholders to ensure the Code, in its entirety, sufficiently addresses the concerns noted in the FPT July 2021 report and adequately balances the interests of stakeholders in a complex supply chain.
If you are a large or small processer/ manufacturer, producer/farmer (selling to wholesale or retail), wholesaler, or retailer, we are interested in hearing from you.
How We Will Consult
A multi-step process:
Step 1: A recording of the steering Committee webinar hosted on May 2, 2023 to present the Code is available here.
Step 2: Presentations at various industry events throughout April
Step 3: Industry stakeholders are invited to respond to the questions found at the end of this consultation document.
Step 4: All input collected will be reviewed and summarized by an impartial third party.
Step 5: The results of the analysis will be presented to the Steering Committee and the Industry Sub-Committee Working Group to determine whether and what changes to the Code are required prior to implementation.
The online consultative process will be open until May 31st, 2023.
The Public consultation period has ended. The information will be analyzed by an independent third party and shared with the Steering and Working Groups. An update on progress will be provided to the Agricultural FPT Ministers in late July.