The big rip off
I know that farm families in southwest Manitoba shop quite a bit at the Wal-Mart in Bottineau, North Dakota because staples such as laundry soap and salad dressing are a fraction of the price for the same product in a Canadian store.
I talked with southern Ontario farmer Bill Durkin recently and the conversation came around to trucks. I said I had noticed an advertisement where you could get up to $11,000 off the price of a Chevy Silverado pickup. "Yes, but even then, the price still isn't as low as an American would pay for the same truck," Bill says. Farmers of course have noticed price discrepancies for fertilizer and other input costs.
With the Canadian and U.S. dollars at par, the high cost of goods in Canada is coming to light. Until Canadian retailers start demanding better prices from their suppliers, consumers and business people are within their moral rights to shop across the line.
I've asked Stats Can and the Taxpayers Federation for price comparisons for a basket of goods bought in Canada and the U.S. If I dig up anything, I'll print the comparison in Grainews.
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