Canada Global(Web News)As food prices continue to rise and food bank spending skyrockets, the majority of Canadians are looking for a prime minister who will work to fight food insecurity.
A newly released election report from Food Banks Canada found that 84 per cent of Canadians agree that reducing hunger is a nonpartisan issue for Canada.
In 2024, monthly food bank visits reached two million. According to Food Banks Canada’s Hunger Count 2024, there were 2,059,636 visits to food banks across Canada in March 2024, up six per cent from 2023 and 90 per cent from 2019.
In Toronto, the Daily Bread Food Bank used to see about 600,000 visits per year in 2020. By 2024, that number was 3.75 million, and in December, it was predicted that number would only increase in 2025. A
new report from Food Banks Canada concludes that rising food insecurity is an issue on the minds of voters.
This is a time when we are thinking about Canada’s future, and federal election candidates are sharing their thoughts on what it means to build a more resilient and compassionate nation, said Kristen Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada, in a press release. “The data is clear that there is strong support for setting a goal of halving hunger by 2030.
Eighty-six per cent of Canadians who responded to the survey support this goal.
The topic of food security came up in a debate with local candidates in Thunder Bay, Ont. on April 17.
In the debate, Liberal candidate Mark Pawlowski highlighted the government’s Nutrition North program, which provides funding and support to enable Indigenous and Northern communities to achieve their own food sovereignty.
NDP candidate Joy Wakefield argued that defense supply management should also be applied to protect farmers in trade agreement negotiations. “
We have enough food to feed everyone in the world, but we don’t and I echo the comments that are relevant to that,” she said in the debate.
“The real catalyst for reducing hunger in Canada is all of us – the voters, who are listening to our voices,” Beardsley said. “No matter your party, make addressing hunger in Canada a priority in your vote. This election is about the kind of country we want to be, a Canada where no one goes hungry.
