Advocate

With the upcoming federal election, we have developed the following Calls to Action for the federal government to implement:

1. Establish a clear target to reduce food insecurity.

Why does this matter?

• Canada currently has no established targets to work towards reducing food insecurity across the country. 
• Nova Scotia has one of the highest rates of food insecurity across the country: almost 1 in every 3 people live in food insecure households.  
• A national target to reduce and eradicate food insecurity would create federal accountability and enable assessment of the effectiveness of various federal policy interventions to reduce food insecurity. 

Our call to action: Commit to reduce food insecurity by 50% and eradicate severe food insecurity by 2030. 

2. Take action to address the high cost of groceries

Why does this matter?

• Increasing cost of living across Canada has contributed to a national affordability crisis. In 2023, 8.7 million people faced food insecurity due to financial hardship, a 49% increase since 2020. 
• Food inflation alone across Nova Scotia has increased by over 19% since 2022 and is projected to increase by at least another 5% in 2025.  
• In 2024, the Government of Canada provided a one-time groceries and essentials payment to households across the country, showing that a government subsidy to offset grocery costs is possible. 

Our call to action: In the short-term, transform the GST/HST Credit into a Groceries and Essentials Benefit to immediately offset the escalating cost of food and other essentials: 

• Increase monthly support for adults aged 18 to 64 to $150 ($1,800 annually) and $50 ($600 annually) for children, providing more stable and effective assistance. 
• Target low-income individuals with a reduced income threshold of $24,824 (compared to $42,335 under the current GST/HST credit).

The bigger picture:

• In Canada, just five major food retailers control 80% of the grocery market. 
• Across the major grocery retailers, there have been reports of price gouging, including under weighing meat and artificially raising the cost of bread, due to claims of inflation. 
• Groceries are essential: like any other essential service, there should be regulation in the system to ensure that corporate control does not take advantage of household vulnerability. 

Our call to action: In the long-term, regulate groceries like a utility, requiring retailers to have set prices for a standardized basket of nutritious food.  

3.Uphold Indigenous Food Sovereignty

Why does this matter?

• Indigenous communities face disproportionate levels of food insecurity across Canada. 
• In 2019, 39% of individuals living on-reserve in Atlantic Canada reported experiencing food insecurity, far above the 23% national average.
• Indigenous communities face ongoing barriers to food sovereignty because of environmental racism and colonial practices that continue to disrupt relationships with the land and traditional food systems. 

Our call to action: Work in partnership with Indigenous Nations to support Indigenous self-determination, sovereignty, and control over their food systems:

• Protect Indigenous rights to land-based foods, hunting, fishing, and gathering.
• Uphold Nation-Nation agreements to share responsibilities with Indigenous peoples to care for natural resources.
• Fund Indigenous-led research on food insecurity.
• Designate additional funding to Indigenous communities through the Local Food Infrastructure Fund.  

4. Create pathways to permanent residence for seasonal migrant farm workers

Why does this matter?

• A strong food system, including a stable workforce to grow and harvest our food, is critical to Canada’s regional and national food sovereignty.
• Canada is heavily reliant on seasonal migrant workers to grow and harvest our food. Every year over 70,000 people arrive to Canada to work on farms across the country. Over 1,500 seasonal migrant workers arrive to Nova Scotia annually, making up 20% of all farm workers in the province.  
• While coming here to grow our food, often for years in a row, migrant workers face discrimination, lack of structural supports, and food insecurity. The UN recently categorized Canada’s migrant workers program as “a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery”.  
• In 2020, the Government of Canada launched an Agri-Food Pilot Program to let experienced, non-seasonal workers in specific industries and occupations immigrate permanently to Canada to support the Canadian food system. The program is due conclude in May 2025. 

Our call to action: Transition the Agri-Food Pilot to a permanent program and expand eligibility to include seasonal migrant farm workers.   

5.Take actions outlined by Food Banks Canada and Community Food Centres Canada to reform and enhance federal social and income support programs

Why does this matter?

• Low wages and inadequate income-assistance programs are key drivers of food insecurity across Canada and in Nova Scotia. 
• Food Banks Canada’s income-based calls to action for the 2025 federal election include expanding and modernizing Employment Insurance, ensuring all federal benefits are indexed to inflation and making single adults with low incomes a priority in future poverty-reduction measures. 
• Community Food Centres Canada income-based calls to action for the 2025 federal election include transforming the Canada Workers benefit into an Enhanced Canada Working Age Supplement, expanding the Canada Disability Benefit and enhancing Employment Insurance. 

Our call to action: Implement the changes to federal social and income support programs as outlined by Food Banks Canada and Community Food Centres Canada.