The most important thing, and the thing I think we're all here to discuss—it's certainly the purpose of this session—is what we can do to lower the cost burden on Canadians, especially when they are shopping at the grocery store.
As I've said before, the code of conduct is not specifically designed to do that. We're trying to force-fit the code into a different outcome.
We have been participating in this process. We have been giving feedback on this process. We have shared the four points of concern multiple times over the last 18 months. The idea that we've dropped this on the process at the last minute is completely untrue. I shared it specifically in my remarks here six months ago. We provided the same very strongly worded perspective in our meetings with the Minister of Industry in October.
It's falling on deaf ears. We're getting no response. We're being told, “No, we're not doing that”, so yes, in the last couple of weeks, we have had to take a firmer position.
We are here being held accountable for high food prices that are not the direct responsibility of the grocery industry. Now you're asking us to sign on to something that we believe in our bones is going to do the opposite of what other people say it's going to do. They won't even talk to us about it anymore.