Ottawa, ON – This week, after months of Liberal denials that their policies really increase prices, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pointedly asked Mark Carney: if it’s not his endless taxes, what is it?

Running short on new excuses, Carney offered a new one: claiming “the fall in the Canadian dollar caused by the obstructionism of the members opposite before this government came into place” was somehow to blame. It was yet another deflection from the government’s responsibility for food prices and an attempt to blame global factors.

Let’s put the self-described economist to the test and see if Carney’s new spin holds up to reality:

The International Benchmark

In today’s world, every country imports food, which makes it easy to compare Canada against an international benchmark. Already, the hypothesis stumbles: In December 2025, Canada had the highest food inflation in the G7. Compared to the year prior, food inflation rose 6.2 per cent faster.

If international factors were solely to blame, they would be hitting all countries the same way, and Canada wouldn’t continue to be an outlier. But having the highest food inflation in the G7 shows this is a Canada-specific problem.

Made-in-Canada problems

To make his case, Carney points to a recent Bank of Canada article to imply food inflation isn’t homegrown. But right off the bat, the analysis explicitly leaves out fruits and vegetables, which are central to what Canadians need to eat. The Food Guide, for instance, recommends that fruit and vegetables fill half the plate.

Excluding fruit and vegetables paints an incomplete picture of a major part of Canadians’ grocery baskets and the cause of the increased prices they have to pay at checkout. It’s also where we’ve seen some of the highest spikes in prices under the Liberals.

Those same fruits and vegetables are produced in Canada and have skyrocketed in price since Mark Carney took office. For example, romaine lettuce is produced in Quebec and Ontario, with prices rising 17.7 per cent, while grapes are grown in Ontario and British Columbia and have seen a 14.2 per cent increase. Cucumbers, grown in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, also surged 17.4 per cent since March 2025.

But even when fruits and vegetables are excluded, the Bank of Canada article still found that “domestic costs account for nearly two-thirds of grocery prices.” That’s no surprise to anyone who understands Canada’s food system. Farm Credit Canada reports that we produce 70 per cent of our food needs domestically, while Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says that 80 per cent of the processed food and beverage products sold in Canada are supplied by the domestic processing industry.

Solutions made for Canadians 

With the overwhelming majority of our food grown and processed in Canada, Carney’s last-ditch attempt to blame exchange rate fluctuations also fails to hold water. Furthermore, short-term fluctuations do not explain the years-long Liberal food affordability crisis that has seen food bank line-ups rise at an alarming rate, completely disconnected from changes to the value of the Canadian dollar.

As Carney continued to blame everything and anything but his policies, Conservatives understand that this is a made-in-Canada crisis that directly increases the costs Canadians have to pay. That’s why Conservatives will continue fighting to eliminate the Liberal hidden food taxes that actually drive up the price at the grocery store.

Canadians deserve a real plan that will boost competition, take the tax off food and deliver real solutions to restore food affordability for all.