I appreciated meeting earlier this month with Qualicum Beach resident Professor Graham Riches to discuss Canada’s growing food-insecurity crisis and the need to recognize food as a human right. One in four Canadians now struggle to afford food, not because of shortages, but because incomes and social supports haven’t kept pace.
As the NDP critic for both agriculture and health, I very much appreciate Graham’s perspective and the depth of his academic work. He has authored and edited numerous influential books and articles on hunger in wealthy societies including “Food Bank Nations: Poverty, Corporate Charity and the Right to Food" (Routledge, 2018).
Canada committed to the right to food decades ago through the UN, yet successive Conservative and Liberal governments have allowed charity to replace responsibility. Graham and I talked about moving beyond food banks toward income security, enforceable standards, and a right-to-food framework that ensures dignity, health, and fairness for everyone. This is about putting people before corporate profits, and making sure no one is left behind.
In Parliament, New Democrats have fought hard for a guaranteed liveable income, at the very least starting with seniors and people living with disabilities.
