All major Canadian grocery players have now have signed a grocery code of conduct, after Walmart and Costco, the two lone holdouts, agreed to support it.

The deal has been years in the making, and with the support of Loblaw, Metro, Empire, and now Walmart and Costco, it constitutes an “important milestone,” says Michael Graydon, CEO of the Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada association and chairman of the interim board for the code. Graydon adds that due to the competitive nature of the business, it was imperative that all major grocers got involved.

The goal is for the code to be put into practice in 2025.

The path to the code was first initiated by the federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture as a volunteer, industry-led solution, and the announcement was made on Thursday at a ministers’ meeting in Whitehorse.

In May, Loblaw announced its backing of a revised code, at its Brampton Supplier Summit with more than 1,300 suppliers in attendance. The move, it said at the time, was its part of “continued commitment to promoting a fair and transparent grocery industry in Canada.”

That month, industry minister François-Philippe Champagne said it would not be tenable for Walmart or Costco to disregard the will of the people and of the Canadian government.

Various C-Suite leaders had told a House of Commons committee they were concerned about a code spurring higher retail prices.