MONTREAL — One day after being ridiculed for saying it was possible to feed a family of three on $75 a week, Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard is maintaining his stance.
Asked again today about the grocery tab, Couillard said it could be done with some creative coupon usage.
On Thursday, he said it would be possible to feed an adult and two teenagers on that amount, acknowledging later that the menu would lack meat and variety.
In an interview with Montreal 98.5 FM today, Couillard said he knows people living on such a tight budget, adding that filling the pantry is almost a full-time job.
Couillard’s political opponents said his grocery comments show that he is disconnected from reality.
One of the authors of Canada’s Food Price Report says it’s highly unlikely $75 would suffice.
Dalhousie University Prof. Sylvain Charlebois said that in 2017, the bare minimum grocery bill for a Quebec family of two adults and two children, including one teen, would have been $149 a week, double the amount in Couillard’s example.
