An op-ed by Devin Drover, Atlantic Director and General Counsel at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, argues against a publicly owned grocery store in Newfoundland and Labrador. The idea was raised provincially by NDP Leader Jim Dinn in the House of Assembly — a proposal Drover notes was “floated federally by New Democratic Leader Avi Lewis” — and Finance Minister Craig Pardy has said the government is open to it if it helps with affordability.
Drover contends government grocery stores fail where tried (citing a state-backed store in Cairo, Illinois that struggled financially in 2023), that private grocers beat government on price because competition forces cost discipline, and that large chains hold insurmountable advantages in scale and buying power. He argues the province, with debt projected to reach $21 billion by the end of 2026 and interest costs near $1.2 billion, cannot afford the risk. His preferred alternative is further tax relief — building on Budget 2026’s roughly $200 million in cuts — including a two-point sales-tax cut he estimates would return more than $700 a year to the average family.
The piece is included here as a marker of how Avi Lewis’s public-grocery policy plank is being contested downstream in provincial politics and by advocacy organizations.