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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tQuebec Solidaire Leader Ruba Ghazal questions the government at the legislature in Quebec City, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jacques Boissinot<\/p>\n
Some 350 party members are gathered in Montreal this weekend to adopt positions on the cost of living, affordability and wealth redistribution.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They adopted a motion on Saturday saying that, if Qu\u00e9bec solidaire were to form government, it would launch a pilot project to create public non-profit grocery stores. The government would buy food in bulk, prioritizing local products, and sell them at lower prices than big chain stores.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEighty per cent of the distribution of food sales are in the hands of only five main grocers,\u201d said Alejandra Zaga Mendez, Qu\u00e9bec solidaire\u2019s economy critic. \u201cWe have to have more competition in order to reduce prices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ghazal added that Canada\u2019s major grocery chains have made large profits as some Quebecers struggle to put food on the table. The party wants to cap the profit margins for these retailers at two per cent.<\/p>\n
She says publicly run grocery stores could help bring the cost of groceries down by up to 30 per cent.<\/p>\n
The party estimates that the pilot project would require an initial investment of $100 million, and would cost $85 million per year to operate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Qu\u00e9bec solidaire says it plans to cover most of those costs by increasing taxes on the ultrarich.<\/p>\n
The party adopted a motion to impose an annual capital tax of one per cent on those with assets worth $25 million or more. Qu\u00e9bec solidaire says that could lead to $5 billion in government revenue.<\/p>\n
The party has said it is drawing inspiration from New York City\u2019s democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n