At a feisty first press conference on Parliament Hill, NDP Leader Avi Lewis proposed banning “surveillance pricing” as part of his pitch to tackle food affordability. 

Lewis, along with the six NDP caucus members, announced the party will be zeroing in on the cost-of-living policies in light of rising grocery and rent prices.

Surveillance pricing, a practice already being examined in Manitoba, happens when companies take users’ data, browsing habits or location to tailor what consumers see and what they’re willing to pay. 

READ MORE: Personalized data pricing isn’t going away. Should Ottawa step up to ban it? 

“We know that the rise in the cost of living, especially food prices, is already untenable for so many Canadians, and now grocery giants and other retailers are teaming up with big tech to squeeze people even more,” Lewis said. 

Briefly referenced in his first press appearance as the NDP leader last month, Lewis said the NDP will be calling on the government to implement a national ban on surveillance pricing before it becomes a “predatory new normal” in Canadian life, adding that NDP MP Leah Gazan will file a motion on behalf of the party. 

Lewis said the Liberals will only move on AI regulation once public outrage reaches a tipping point.

He praised Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew for taking the lead in banning surveillance pricing in the province. 

At Monday’s press conference, Lewis pushed back against reporters who wanted to ask him questions about other topics or to members of his team. In one exchange, he didn’t let a reporter put a question to NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson about the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, saying caucus had agreed that Lewis would take all questions during the press conference.

Despite wanting to focus on the policy announcement, Lewis answered a few questions on the Liberals’ new floor-crossers, claiming the practice has “disturbed” Canadians. 

Lewis reiterated the NDP’s position that MPs should trigger byelections if they switch parties. 

“The Liberal tent is stretched so far now that the fabric must be… spandex,” Lewis said. 

“I think it diminishes the value of our party identities, and it speaks to the desire for power over principle,” he added. 

Lewis also called on measures like windfall profit taxes and stronger consumer protections amid conflicts in the Middle East. He criticized Ottawa’s response, stating that it’s only raising prices in the oil and grocery sectors while Canadians are “sobbing at the pump.” 

“This war needs to be brought to an end as soon as possible, and the way to do that is through diplomatic pressure of countries working in alliance to bring the United States and Israel to account,” he said. 

“We’re going to stay focused on how people get by in an extremely difficult time when there are no other voices in Parliament that are speaking up for working class Canadians,” Lewis said. 

High speed rail

When asked where the party stands in regards to the controversial high speed rail project, Lewis called it a solution to “greening transport” and addressing transportation gaps across the country. However, he said the problem lies in the “formulation” of the product. 

“We know that public private partnerships are opaque by design. It’s impossible to have transparency when you have private partners, they’re usually over budget and they usually take way longer than projected,” Lewis said.

Instead, the party said they believe big infrastructure projects like this should be done under “public ownership.” 

Despite not holding a seat, Lewis said he has no plans to ask any current NDP MPs to step aside. He said he’s focusing on rebuilding the party organization ahead of the next general election. 

He has taken on a new role as the party’s critic for intergovernmental affairs and the cost of living.