The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, July 7, edition that as the federal NDP tells it, grocery chains drove inflation by marking up prices during the pandemic in order to pad their profits. A Globe editorial says there is just one thing lacking in the NDP complaint, facts. Ever since the NDP started spouting its economic demagoguery, there has been proof to the contrary for anyone that cared to look, starting with the financial statements of the grocery chains themselves, which showed generally stable gross margins, once the non-food parts of the business were excluded. The Globe says grocery chains undermined their solid case by refusing to provide more detailed breakdowns to Canadians. The Globe notes that the bread price-fixing scandal casts a long shadow over the industry. However, a recent research paper from the Bank of Canada shows just how much the NDP and its progressive supporters have irresponsibly veered into conspiracy-tinged territory. The Globe says the BOC's analysis of price markups across various economic sectors makes for an effective rebuttal. The BOC researchers conclude there is "little evidence of rising markups amplifying the inflationary impact of rising costs."