Food security key election issue for Canadians; Food Banks Canada

As the price of food continues to increase and food bank visits skyrocket, the majority of Canadians are looking for a prime minister who will work to fight food insecurity.

Food Banks Canada’s newly released Election Report found that 84 per cent of Canadians agree that reducing hunger is a non-partisan issue for Canada.

In 2024, monthly food bank visits soared to two million. According to Food Banks Canada’s Hunger Count 2024, March 2024 saw 2,059,636 visits to food banks across Canada, up six per cent from 2023 and 90 per cent from 2019.

In Toronto, the Daily Bread Food Bank was used to seeing approximately 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.

The new report from Food Banks Canada concludes the rise of food insecurity is an issue on voter’s minds.

“This is a time when we’re thinking about Canada’s future, and federal election candidates are sharing their views on what it means to build a more resilient and compassionate nation,” Food Banks Canada Chief Executive Officer Kirstin Beardsley, said in a press release. “The data is clear that there is strong support for setting the goal of cutting hunger in half by 2030. 

Eighty-six per cent of Canadians who responded to the poll support this goal.

The topic of food security came up at a debate with local candidates of Thunder Bay, Ont. on April 17.

At the debate, Liberal candidate Mark Powlowski highlighted the government’s Nutrition North program which provides funding and support to Indigenous and northern communities to enable their own food sovereignty.

NDP candidate Joy Wakefield argued that defending supply management will also apply to protect farmers in negotiations surrounding trade agreements.

“We have enough food in the world to feed everyone, but we don’t and I echo those comments that it’s concerning,” she said at the debate.

At another debate in Cambridge, Ont., local Conservative Party candidate Eric Duncan said his party plans to tackle the issues of food insecurity and rising costs of housing in tandem by removing GST from new homes and fully cutting the carbon tax.

The data from the Election Report shows that food security is an issue of concern for all Canadians across all regions and demographics.

“The real catalyst to reducing hunger in Canada is all of us — the voters, making our voices heard,” Beardsley said. “No matter your party, make tackling hunger in Canada your voting priority. This election is about the kind of country we want to be, a Canada where no one goes hungry.”