Trudeau calls out Poilievre after top Conservative adviser is tied to Loblaw lobbying

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on the leader of the opposition to clarify his position on grocery prices after news emerged that a top Conservative adviser's consulting firm has lobbied on behalf of grocery giant Loblaw.

The Ontario lobbyist registry lists six employees of Jenni Byrne + Associates as registered lobbyists for Loblaw Companies Limited. The CEO of the firm is Jenni Byrne, a longtime Conservative strategist and campaign manager for Pierre Poilievre's leadership bid.

"Pierre Poilievre has been standing up for months now pretending he cares about high grocery prices faced by Canadians," Trudeau said at a media appearance in Waterloo, Ont.

"It turns out that his top adviser is working as a lobbyist for Loblaws. I think Mr. Poilievre owes some explanations to Canadians."

Byrne herself is not listed on any public registry as a consultant for Loblaw. She did not respond to a request for comment.

"Let's be clear about the facts here, Jenni Byrne is not and never has been registered to lobby on behalf of Loblaws," said Simon Jefferies, senior vice president for Jenni Byrne + Associates, in a written statement.

"The work JB+A does with Loblaws is limited to the provincial level and focused on expanded access to beer and wine and red tape reduction."

This is the second day the Liberals have sought to attack Byrne and Poilievre over the lobbying association. On Thursday during question period in the House of Commons, Housing Minister Sean Fraser raised the issue.

The cost of food has been one of the most discussed issues on Parliament Hill. Debate during the new sitting of the House of Commons has focused squarely on the problem of affordability.

Loblaw has been criticized by the federal government, the NDP and consumer experts for reporting hundreds of millions of dollars in profits during a time of high food inflation.

Speaking to a House of Commons committee in December, Loblaw executive chairman Galen Weston said his company, which represents 29 per cent of the Canadian grocery industry, has been unfairly targeted for food price inflation.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said this week that "large grocers have not, to date, been sufficiently transparent about the causes of food inflation." He said he's written to Matthew Boswell, the competition commissioner, to encourage the Competition Bureau to use new powers given to it last fall — including subpoena powers and the ability to block mergers — to do more to lower grocery costs.

"Large grocers have ... failed, for the most part, to provide regular updates on initiatives aimed at stabilizing food prices in the country," Champagne said Monday.

Loblaw came in for more criticism recently over a deal to make some Manulife prescription drugs available only at Loblaw-owned pharmacies, and over a now-cancelled plan to stop giving a 50 per cent discount on food nearing expiry dates.