Volunteers sort and box food at the Daily Bread Food Bank, April, 2023.Fred Lum/the Globe and Mail
Nick Saul is the CEO of Right To Food.
Kirstin Beardsley is the CEO of Food Banks Canada.
Marissa Alexander is the executive director of Food Secure Canada.
Across the country, more and more people can’t meet their basic needs. Families are stretching paycheques to the breaking point – juggling rising rents, transportation costs and grocery bills. These pressures aren’t limited to those living in deep poverty. It’s become mainstream: Full-time workers, students, seniors and parents are making difficult trade-offs that strain their health and well-being.
As leaders of organizations working on the front lines of food insecurity, we see these realities every day. Food insecurity is no longer a marginal issue – it affects millions of Canadians and remains one of the clearest indicators that our social and economic systems are failing.
The numbers confirm this reality. In 2024, 25.5 per cent of Canadians – roughly 10 million people, including 2.5 million children – lived in food-insecure households. In 2018, that figure was just 11.5 per cent. Without action, this trend will continue.
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The 2025 federal budget arrived at a pivotal moment. While the government seeks to reorient the economy in the face of global shifts, many people continue to feel left behind – a reality reflected in the sharp rise in demand for emergency food services. And even as the budget lays out a long-term economic strategy, those facing hardship today need urgent, targeted measures that put money back in people’s pockets and ease the pressures they’re under.
The introduction of automatic tax filing for low-income individuals with simple returns is a welcome step. Ensuring people receive benefits they are already entitled to, such as the Canada Child Benefit and GST/HST credit, will help households afford essentials like food, rent and transportation.
The federal government has also moved to permanently establish the National School Food Program, which could provide healthy meals and snacks to up to 400,000 students. While this will not materially impact the food-insecurity crisis, investing in children’s well-being is a meaningful step toward improving Canada’s public infrastructure. This program also provides opportunities for local, culturally appropriate food procurement.
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The significant investments in housing are another promising step. Stable, affordable housing allows families to redirect more of their income toward food and other necessities.
But we desperately need more urgent action. Rising food insecurity among working people signals that wages, benefits and income supports are not keeping pace with the cost of living. Modernizing employment insurance to reflect today’s labour-market realities, introducing new income policies such as a groceries and essentials benefit, and tools such as a rental assistance program, would provide much-needed stability for those who are working hard but still falling short of the necessary income each month. Given the rise in child poverty, increasing the Canada Child Benefit and including a supplement to fight extreme food insecurity in the North would be a helpful measure as well.
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Ultimately, food security is rooted in inequities in household income. When incomes do not keep pace with costs, food becomes one of the first things people are forced to compromise on. Charitable food assistance can help in moments of crisis, but it cannot replace the role of strong public policy or a robust social-safety net.
Canada has the tools to change course. With the right mix of immediate relief and long-term investments – including rental supports, modernized income programs, and targeted measures for low-income and precariously employed workers – we can begin to turn the tide. This is the level of action required if we are to make real progress toward the call from the food-security sector to reduce food insecurity by 50 per cent by 2030.
As leaders in the food-security sector, we remain committed to working alongside governments, communities and our partners across the country. But to meet the scale of this crisis, we need policy-makers to match the urgency that people in Canada are living with every day.
The moment calls for decisive leadership. The federal government must treat food insecurity as a national priority – not a background issue – and commit to concrete, measurable action now. Canadians deserve a future where putting food on the table is not a daily struggle. With focused effort and the right policy choices, that future is within reach.