Show Transcript
Food insecurity is a growing problem in Canada. Almost a quarter of the population has expressed concerns about going without food, compromising on the quality of their groceries, or being worried about where their next meal will come from. MoneyTalk’s Kim Parlee speaks with Nick Saul, CEO of Community Food Centres Canada, about what needs to be done to address the problem.
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[AUDIO LOGO]
You recently wrote an op-ed in a Toronto newspaper, and I want to read one of the quotes you have from the piece. And you say, long food lines are some of the most visible signs a society has that it's lost its way. But the reality is they represent a small fraction of the crisis at hand. So tell me a bit, from your perspective, how big the crisis is.
Well, it's devastatingly bad. I don't know how else to say it when close to 9 million of our neighbors are concerned about putting food on their table.
Yeah, everyone should be distressed by that. That's a 26% increase over last year. A quarter of the people in Canada are struggling to make ends meet when it comes to food. If you're in a one-parent family, those numbers increase significantly. If you live with a disability, if you're Black, or if you're Indigenous, those numbers skyrocket. If you're Black, it's over 40%
So we have a deep crisis in our country around people accessing good food. It's hard to believe that as a country-- we're signatories to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which says that we need to respect, protect, and fulfill the right to food. And those numbers illustrate just how far we're falling short on that front.
I think-- and I'm not sure if you said this or others, but I've heard people say the problem is not that there's not enough food. The problems are that there's other systemic issues. And maybe-- again, I'm sure it's quite complex. But if you could illuminate us on where you see the core problems.
Well, it's not that complicated in the sense that food insecurity is not about a lack of food. It's about a lack of income. People simply don't have enough income to make ends meet. So I think that's where we need to focus the conversation. I mean, if you look at the consumer price index over the last five years, we've seen it increase overall by about 20%. Food alone is up 26%
So I think it's incumbent upon us to really focus on the fact that we have a very precarious labor market. People are not being paid enough or fairly, I would say. They're not getting enough hours. They're certainly not getting enough benefits. And if you happen to fall into the social infrastructure, it's not there to help you bounce back. If you happen to live on welfare in this province, for example, it's impossible to live with any kind of health or dignity.
So I think we need to invest in people. And whether that's-- if you're an employer, and you're running a business, your most important asset are the people that work for you. And they should not be going home to empty fridges. 60% of people who are food insecure have some attachment to the labor market, which will tell you a lot about the precarity of our labor market. If you're working in warehousing or retail or hospitality or delivery, you simply are not making enough money to put food on your table for yourself and your family.
Can you tell us a bit about the work that you do with Community Food Centres Canada, and maybe talk a bit about that and food banks and how they're coming in to try and help fill the gap?
Well, the emergency food sector is doing their best and trying to create as much dignity as possible and getting good food into people's hampers. But as a society, that's not what we should be doing. We should be creating really good income programs so that people can live with that dignity and health that I've spoken about.
We know where the answers lie. When the federal government invested in the Canada child benefit, it helped reduce severe food insecurity in families with children by up to 30%. As soon as you become a senior in this country, you turn 65, because of Old Age Security and the guaranteed income supplement, food insecurity rates drop by 50%. So we know what matters.
And so our organization, along with meeting people where they're at, Community Food Centres Canada, that is-- along with meeting people where they're at in their crisis, and creating dignity and inclusion and reducing isolation and improving mental health, we also speak out about these systemic issues, whether it's that unfair labor market, whether it's racism, a legacy of colonialism. Those are the things that we need to focus on.
But in the first instance, our 15, growing to 20, community food centers across the country, our 400 partners that we call good food organizations are all trying to create spaces that are full of hope and health and skill building. And this issue of isolation is really important. The levels of loneliness and mental health concerns for people who are food insecure, or people who are on low incomes more generally, are just going through the roof. And we need to be there as a sector.
But it's not the answer. Charity is not the answer to the issue we're talking about here, which is rising numbers of people who are really worried, are anxious, are standing in lineups, or are frightened at home because they can't put food in their fridge or on their table.
It's such a tough-- and I understand what you're saying. It must be hard, I think, from your perspective when you are trying to support people in the best way you can when you see the larger systemic issues. But I do know that a lot of people who decide to support you in terms of financially or those types of things do give you the resources to help build some of the things that are needed to help those people, at least in the meantime.
Oh, we're a powerful force in this conversation because individuals believe in what we're doing, and we do good work. So we're mostly a privately run organization in terms of funds that come in. I think government should play a much larger role. But our work growing from the very first community food center into the 15 and more, and this large movement that we're building, to say that we need dignified spaces and also better systems to support people to contribute because, ultimately, people want to contribute to our society.
And so I would say that anyone watching this show, join us at Community Food Centres Canada. Read some of the reports that we're putting out there, whether that's Beyond Hunger or Sounding the Alarm. Volunteer, and not just in our organizations, but there are a ton of organizations out there that you can lend a hand to. And I think the biggest thing to remember is don't be paralyzed. Don't turn away from this issue.
And I want people to feel hopeful. Because at the end of the day, change happens when you fight for it. And we see systems change all the time. The women's right to vote, the Civil Rights movement, all of those things changed because people got involved and played a role. And you never know when that change is going to happen. But it won't happen unless people show agency and get involved.
And so I really encourage people on this matter, in this really critical time, to get to know, I mean, certainly our organization. But there are lots of great organizations on the front lines of this issue. And we need you right now.
Nick, such a pleasure to speak with you. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today.
Thanks for shining a light on this critical issue. Appreciate it.
That was Nick Saul. Community Food Centres Canada has been able to help both on the ground and influence system change because of the generosity of private donors. If you'd like to learn more, make sure to check out their website. [AUDIO LOGO]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
You recently wrote an op-ed in a Toronto newspaper, and I want to read one of the quotes you have from the piece. And you say, long food lines are some of the most visible signs a society has that it's lost its way. But the reality is they represent a small fraction of the crisis at hand. So tell me a bit, from your perspective, how big the crisis is.
Well, it's devastatingly bad. I don't know how else to say it when close to 9 million of our neighbors are concerned about putting food on their table.
Yeah, everyone should be distressed by that. That's a 26% increase over last year. A quarter of the people in Canada are struggling to make ends meet when it comes to food. If you're in a one-parent family, those numbers increase significantly. If you live with a disability, if you're Black, or if you're Indigenous, those numbers skyrocket. If you're Black, it's over 40%
So we have a deep crisis in our country around people accessing good food. It's hard to believe that as a country-- we're signatories to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which says that we need to respect, protect, and fulfill the right to food. And those numbers illustrate just how far we're falling short on that front.
I think-- and I'm not sure if you said this or others, but I've heard people say the problem is not that there's not enough food. The problems are that there's other systemic issues. And maybe-- again, I'm sure it's quite complex. But if you could illuminate us on where you see the core problems.
Well, it's not that complicated in the sense that food insecurity is not about a lack of food. It's about a lack of income. People simply don't have enough income to make ends meet. So I think that's where we need to focus the conversation. I mean, if you look at the consumer price index over the last five years, we've seen it increase overall by about 20%. Food alone is up 26%
So I think it's incumbent upon us to really focus on the fact that we have a very precarious labor market. People are not being paid enough or fairly, I would say. They're not getting enough hours. They're certainly not getting enough benefits. And if you happen to fall into the social infrastructure, it's not there to help you bounce back. If you happen to live on welfare in this province, for example, it's impossible to live with any kind of health or dignity.
So I think we need to invest in people. And whether that's-- if you're an employer, and you're running a business, your most important asset are the people that work for you. And they should not be going home to empty fridges. 60% of people who are food insecure have some attachment to the labor market, which will tell you a lot about the precarity of our labor market. If you're working in warehousing or retail or hospitality or delivery, you simply are not making enough money to put food on your table for yourself and your family.
Can you tell us a bit about the work that you do with Community Food Centres Canada, and maybe talk a bit about that and food banks and how they're coming in to try and help fill the gap?
Well, the emergency food sector is doing their best and trying to create as much dignity as possible and getting good food into people's hampers. But as a society, that's not what we should be doing. We should be creating really good income programs so that people can live with that dignity and health that I've spoken about.
We know where the answers lie. When the federal government invested in the Canada child benefit, it helped reduce severe food insecurity in families with children by up to 30%. As soon as you become a senior in this country, you turn 65, because of Old Age Security and the guaranteed income supplement, food insecurity rates drop by 50%. So we know what matters.
And so our organization, along with meeting people where they're at, Community Food Centres Canada, that is-- along with meeting people where they're at in their crisis, and creating dignity and inclusion and reducing isolation and improving mental health, we also speak out about these systemic issues, whether it's that unfair labor market, whether it's racism, a legacy of colonialism. Those are the things that we need to focus on.
But in the first instance, our 15, growing to 20, community food centers across the country, our 400 partners that we call good food organizations are all trying to create spaces that are full of hope and health and skill building. And this issue of isolation is really important. The levels of loneliness and mental health concerns for people who are food insecure, or people who are on low incomes more generally, are just going through the roof. And we need to be there as a sector.
But it's not the answer. Charity is not the answer to the issue we're talking about here, which is rising numbers of people who are really worried, are anxious, are standing in lineups, or are frightened at home because they can't put food in their fridge or on their table.
It's such a tough-- and I understand what you're saying. It must be hard, I think, from your perspective when you are trying to support people in the best way you can when you see the larger systemic issues. But I do know that a lot of people who decide to support you in terms of financially or those types of things do give you the resources to help build some of the things that are needed to help those people, at least in the meantime.
Oh, we're a powerful force in this conversation because individuals believe in what we're doing, and we do good work. So we're mostly a privately run organization in terms of funds that come in. I think government should play a much larger role. But our work growing from the very first community food center into the 15 and more, and this large movement that we're building, to say that we need dignified spaces and also better systems to support people to contribute because, ultimately, people want to contribute to our society.
And so I would say that anyone watching this show, join us at Community Food Centres Canada. Read some of the reports that we're putting out there, whether that's Beyond Hunger or Sounding the Alarm. Volunteer, and not just in our organizations, but there are a ton of organizations out there that you can lend a hand to. And I think the biggest thing to remember is don't be paralyzed. Don't turn away from this issue.
And I want people to feel hopeful. Because at the end of the day, change happens when you fight for it. And we see systems change all the time. The women's right to vote, the Civil Rights movement, all of those things changed because people got involved and played a role. And you never know when that change is going to happen. But it won't happen unless people show agency and get involved.
And so I really encourage people on this matter, in this really critical time, to get to know, I mean, certainly our organization. But there are lots of great organizations on the front lines of this issue. And we need you right now.
Nick, such a pleasure to speak with you. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today.
Thanks for shining a light on this critical issue. Appreciate it.
That was Nick Saul. Community Food Centres Canada has been able to help both on the ground and influence system change because of the generosity of private donors. If you'd like to learn more, make sure to check out their website. [AUDIO LOGO]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
