The Office of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct (OGSCC) has completed its governance framework, marking a significant milestone in the implementation of the Canada Grocery Code. 

With all foundational components finalized, including the Dispute Resolution Management Process (DRMP), which will come into effect January 1, 2026, the OGSCC is now launching its formal recruitment campaign. 

“Today marks an important step forward in advancing transparency, fairness, and predictability in commercial relationships across the grocery supply chain,” said Karen Proud, president & adjudicator of the OGSCC. “With the governance framework in place, we are now focused on supporting broad participation from across the sector.” 

The DRMP is to be followed for any future complaints filed with the Office of the Grocery Code of Conduct Corporation by member retailers and suppliers as defined in the Corporation’s By-Laws.  Business dealings giving rise to a complaint must fall within member conduct obligations as defined in the Code that took effect June 1, 2025. In cases where the OGSCC Adjudicator renders a breach judgement, the  determination will be made available to the public through OGSCC’s website. Over time, the OGSCC will publish trends of the complaints and breaches based on anonymized data.     

More than 100 organizations joined during the transitional phase, playing a critical role in shaping the Office and informing the design of the Code. With formal recruitment now officially underway, the OGSCC encourages all eligible retailers and suppliers (including manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and primary producers) to join before the Code is fully implemented on January 1st, 2026. 

“We applaud the collective work done on the industry-led grocery sector code of conduct to land this governance framework and the leadership shown by the Office of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct.” said the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “By coming together to establish clear principles of fairness and transparency, the sector is building a stronger, accessible and more resilient supply chain.” 

"This new Code of conduct is an important step toward strengthening trust and collaboration among all players in the supply chain, from farm to grocery store. I would like to thank my predecessor, André Lamontagne, who provided decisive leadership in developing the Code. I invite retailers and suppliers to sign on to it in large numbers. This is a step forward that benefits the entire industry, but above all our consumers," said Donald Martel, Québec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. 

For the code, link here: https://canadacode.org/code/code-of-conduct/

Source: Office of Grocery Sector Code of Conduct November 28, 2025 news release