Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

BTC: The measure of a man

by Aaron Wherry on Saturday, September 13, 2008 3:09pm - 7 Comments

Scrumming after a rally in downtown Toronto this afternoon, Jack Layton was presented with a few of the dreaded “how well do you understand the plight of the common man?” questions.

First, with Layton talking so much about gouging at the pumps these last two days, a correspondent wanted to know if Layton knew the price of gas in Toronto today.

The NDP leader wagered that the price was “just a little over $1.30.” And according to Torontogasprices.com, the average price in the GTA at the moment is $1.38.

Next, and less predictably, a question about the costs of a loaf of bread and a litre of milk. Layton’s responses (guesses?) were “it’s getting close to three bucks” and “it’s about two bucks” respectively.

Back to the hotel then, and immediately to the nearest grocery store.

Freshly returned from there, it can be reported, for the record, that at the corner of Bay and Dundas, in the heart of Canada’s most populace city, a loaf of bread could be had for $2.99 and a litre of milk could be purchased for $2.69.

A pass then on all three. And proof, obviously, that Jack Layton understands Everyday Canadians.

(P.S. The name of that grocery store? You guessed it. The Kitchen Table.)

Tags: Election Watch, Jack Layton

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Sisyphus

Since the Chuckies seem to have the attitude that the only proper response to a Layton item is a sneer of superiority, I’ll respond with a simple “thank you”.
Jack Mitchell

That’s not the cheapest store in the neighbourhood. My dep sells 1L for $2.49 (2%) and 2L for $4.69. Pretty good deal on the bread actually. Of course we’re talking downtown Toronto, it’s gotta be cheaper in a smaller city. Good for Layton for knowing.
Davey Boy

$3 for a loaf of bread? That alone says a lot about Jack (and Toronto for that matter).

White bead (Wonder) at Sobey’s this week: $1.59

Ben’s Villagio (Italian style) bread: 2 for $4

Ben’s white & whole wheat: $1.49, all the time

Perhaps if Jack started eating like working Canadians, he might have a clue.

Oh, and it might have escaped everyone’s notice that milk costs twice as much as gasoline (Coke costs more as well), despite the fact that one-third of the price of gas is tax.

Cheers
Sophie

A 4 litre bag of milk cost $4.00 at Zehrs this week.
Logically, shouldn’t a litre of milk therefore cost a dollar?
madeyoulook

Not if you only buy the litre, Sophie. Volume cuts the cost. A litre is indeed upwards of a couple bucks, most places.

But I gotta say this rapid-fire man-of-the-people quiz is on par with the what-veggie-are-you nonsense. Where oh where is the POLICY debate, anywhere? Oh MSM, have you forgotten your raison d’être?
Jack Mitchell

Davey Boy:

“Perhaps if Jack started eating like working Canadians, he might have a clue.”

Huh, yeah. Shows how much you know about Toronto, buddy. There’s no Loblaws near me, no Costco, none of that happy suburban discount stuff. I have to go to the dep or to the market; or, what I actually do, make my own bread. As to my not being a “working Canadian,” I can pretty much guarantee you that your income is higher than mine, FWIW. But apparently all true blue working Canadians are diehard Harper fans, eh? What BS.
Doug Bartake

I was flipping through the news cahannel today and I heard John MaCain say…Fundamentally our country is in great shape.This was in response to the Finacial Wall Strret Crisis. I turned to a Canadian Channel and there was Stephen Harper saying exactly the same thing…..one scary dude this Harper. I hope Canadians have some foresight before they follow the same steep path as the U.S.A.