Elbows down: Carney ends Canada’s self-inflicted grocery tax

Based on what we know, most counter-tariffs affecting food, food manufacturing, and retail will be rolled back on September 1. This is welcome news.

It will provide relief for Canadian consumers, greater choice for grocers, and — most importantly — help keep food inflation in check. Even if counter-tariffs did not directly apply to a wide range of products, they acted like the tide with boats: price increases in certain aisles created pressure across the grocery store. In food retail, all categories compete with one another for share of wallet. When orange juice, peanut butter, or coffee prices rise due to tariffs, it indirectly pushes prices elsewhere upward as grocers rebalance their pricing strategies.

This rollback is timely. As we enter the critical fall season, when demand for stap