Canada has long relied on underfunded Band-Aid solutions, but only policy can deliver lasting change, starting with three key policy priorities.
by Jasmine Ramze Rezaee. Originally published on Policy Options
June 9, 2025
Canada is in the grips of a deepening food-insecurity crisis — one that food banks cannot solve and elected officials can no longer afford to ignore.
The inability to obtain enough food for a nutritious diet or the uncertainty of being able to do so has reached a record high.
New data shows that nearly 10 million Canadians — about one in four — lived in a food-insecure household in 2024, a 15 per cent jump from the previous year. Among them, 2.6 million people experienced severe food insecurity, that is, they reduced how much they ate, skipped meals or went days without eating. One in three children was affected by food insecurity in some way.
The situation was most severe in Nunavut, where 58.1 per cent of residents lived in food-insecure households due to the territory’s remoteness, high cost of groceries shipped from the south and socioeconomic factors. Among the 10 provinces, Alberta reported the highest rate at 30.9 per cent, followed closely by Saskatchewan at 30.6 per cent and Newfoundland and Labrador at 30 per cent.
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Behind the numbers are everyday stories: workers juggling multiple jobs and still going to bed hungry; people with disabilities rationing medication to buy groceries; children growing up in homes filled with anxiety over the next bill. All of this in a country as wealthy and abundant as Canada. These realities are not the exception. They are a warning sign of a system in crisis.
The truth is simple but uncomfortable. Hunger in Canada is not about food supply. It’s about income. And it is a policy failure, not a personal shortcoming.
A broken system built on charity
For decades, Canada has lacked a co-ordinated national strategy to address food insecurity. Instead, we’ve leaned on underfunded community food-charity programs and networks —Band-Aid solutions for a deep and growing crisis. Emergency food services cannot keep up with increasing demand. And, while visits to food banks are at a record high, they don’t account for the millions of people going hungry. Most food-insecure people don’t use them. Yet government action remains inadequate.
Community responses have never been intended — or equipped — to replace strong social policy. And they certainly cannot address the drivers of hunger: low wages, rising housing and food costs and inadequate income supports.
The impact is not equally shared. Black (47 per cent) and Indigenous (40 per cent) people, along with recent immigrants (34 per cent), persistently face significantly higher rates of food insecurity. These disparities reflect long-standing inequities and demand targeted responses.
Charity can offer temporary relief, but only policy can deliver lasting change.
Food insecurity is both a moral crisis and an economic challenge. It contributes to chronic illness, hospitalizations, mental-health problems and lower educational outcomes. These impacts strain our health-care system and weaken Canada’s productivity and resilience. Ultimately, the cost of doing nothing far outweighs the investment required to keep people from going hungry.
With food prices expected to increase and global instability on the rise — in part fuelled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic and foreign policies — the stakes are only getting higher. Combined with a risk of recession, the affordability crisis is poised to deepen, especially in communities already facing the sharpest disparities.
A policy agenda for income-based food security
The good news is we already know what works. Targeted income supports stand out as one of the most effective ways to reduce food insecurity. Evidence from several social programs, such as the Canada Child Benefit, the Guaranteed Income Supplement and Employment Insurance, shows that as income rises, the likelihood of food insecurity falls.
Community Food Centres Canada, in partnership with nearly 250 organizations, recently issued an open letter calling for urgent action to tackle food insecurity. The letter outlines what should be three key policy priorities:
- Set a national target: Commit to reducing food insecurity by 50 per cent by 2030, using 2021 levels as a baseline. Setting this target would spur co-ordinated action, improve accountability and signal that hunger is not inevitable.
- Modernize income supports: Strengthen federal income supports to provide greater stability for Canadians living on reduced incomes. This would include reforming Employment Insurance by reducing qualifying hours, expanding access for gig, migrant, and self-employed workers, and increasing benefit levels. As well, creating a benefit for groceries and essentials of $150 per adult and $50 per child would provide much-needed support to low- and modest-income households. Together, these measures could offer a critical lifeline to millions struggling with rising costs.
- Advance Indigenous food sovereignty: Indigenous communities experience much higher rates of food insecurity that is rooted in economic marginalization and the ongoing effects of colonialism. Federal policymakers must work in partnership with Indigenous Nations to respect and support their self-determination, sovereignty and control over their food sources. This includes protecting Indigenous rights to hunt, fish and gather.
In his election victory speech, Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke of building a country that is stable, strong and fair. But that vision cannot be realized without directly confronting the growing crisis of food insecurity.
The Canada we want — the one we teach our children to believe in — is a country where no one goes hungry. A country where kindness is not only a value but a practice. Where we don’t leave people to rely on charity to meet basic needs. Where families can grow and thrive, free from the constant anxiety of how they’ll afford their next meal.
Failure to act decisively will not only cause more harm but erode public trust. And it will come at a political cost. The government that rises to meet this challenge will earn support and lasting political capital.
Addressing hunger is about more than meeting material needs. It’s about embodying the Canada we aspire to be. A robust, income-based food-security strategy would alleviate hunger and improve long-term public-health outcomes for a fairer society benefiting us all.
There is no stronger foundation for a better country than one where every person has the security and dignity of enough to eat. With a new government in place, the time for meaningful policy reform is now.
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This article first appeared on Policy Options and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.