Food is a Federal Election Issue

As Canada readies for a federal election this fall and political parties prepare their platforms to win over the hearts and minds of voters, Food Secure Canada is busy thinking and organizing about how we can get food issues on the political agenda.

FSC members have spoken loud and clear about what issues they want us to be highlighting in our organizational member survey and at the Assembly this past November. The pie-chart below summarizes what you told us.

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In the past year we have met with MPs from different political parties, some more frequently than others, and we hosted an engaging discussion with some of them about some key issues for FSC members at our Assembly in Halifax.
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A National Food Policy

We are calling on politicians of all political parties to Step Up to the Plate!

We need a national food policy - a new vision for our food system that encompasses the goals of zero hunger, healthy and safe food, and a more sustainable food system. 

We want the next Federal Government to be committed to our agenda. As New York Times columnist Mark Bittman so eloquently put it:

"You can’t address climate change without fixing agriculture, you can’t fix health without improving diet, you can’t improve diet without addressing income [...]. The production, marketing, and consumption of food is key to nearly everything."

The bottom line is that we need a national food policy that will eliminate hunger, ensure safe and healthy food for all, and set us in the direction of a more sustainable food system. Our ambitious vision is outlined in Resetting the Table: A People’s Food Policy for Canada. 

In the past four years, we have witnessed increasing levels of food insecurity, an untreated epidemic of diet-related illnesses that costs billions, and an aging farming population that newcomers cannot afford to replace. The current government has not shown leadership on these issues. With a coordinated national campaign, we think the food movement can speak in a united voice. Strengthening our movement and building our membership goes hand in hand with advocacy.

   Key Election Issues

• Food insecurity affects four million Canadians. Hunger should not exist in Canada. Period.
• A healthy food system starts with kids, and we are calling for federal support for a universal healthy school food program.
• There is an urgent food insecurity crisis facing northern and aboriginal communities.
• There is not enough support for new farmers, particularly those using sustainable and organic practices selling to local and regional markets.

Organizations across Canada are already working on some of these issues and we will seek to coordinate efforts to maximize our collective impact.  
 

What do you think?

We need you to be involved in this campaign for the kind of food system we want to see: 

Healthy, Just, Sustainable.

First of all, share our newsletter with your network and encourage them to sign-up. You can also start following us on social media, if you have not already done so. Let us know what you think by posting on our Facebook page or tweeting us @FoodSecureCAN. We would love to hear from you.

Secondly, become a member of Food Secure Canada.

And above all, help us make food an election issue by making a donation now!

For more information, click here to read recent articles framing food as an election issue.

​Photo: Jane Taber of the Globe and Mail animates Question Period at our Assembly with, from left to right, Mark Eyking (Liberal MP), Dr. Valerie Tarasuk, Norma Kassi (Arctic Institute for Community Research), Alex Fletcher (National Farmers Union), Debbie Field (FoodShare) and Megan Leslie (NDP MP).​ Watch the full session here.
Credit: Alison Froese-Stoddard

Checkbox Image Credit: Oliver Tacke (Creative Commons)

New faces at FSC

Two new staff members joined the Food Secure Canada team in January. Marie-Élaine LaRochelle (left) has been appointed new Communications and Membership Coordinator, while Raïssa Épalè (right) will now serve as Project Coordinator for the Raising the Bar on School Food Program. Learn more about them on our Staff and Board page.

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Congratulations to Aart Schuuman Hess (above, from BC), who replaces Eric Chaurette as Chair of FSC's Board of Directors (now Vice Chair). Welcome also to our new Board members Raquel Koenig (Manitoba), Lucia Stephens (Nova Scotia) and Elisabeth Abergel (Québec) who were elected at our Assembly, replacing departing Board members Lauren Baker, Jordan Nikiloyuk and Norma Kassi. 

​​Work in Food!

Need people who are inspired and experienced in food or food issues? FoodWork is Canada's "job board" for work in local, sustainable, secure food. Together with partners, FoodWork brings 14 years experience and over 3,000 food opportunities to date. Let's get to work on food! www.FoodWork.ca

Upcoming Events

webinar: UNDERSTANDING SOIL & BUILDING GREAT GARDEN SOIL (part 2)

Second session of a two-part webinar. Hosted by Food Security Network of Newfoundland and Labrador. January 28, 2015. Sign up now.

Conference: Organic by Choice

9th annual organic consumer conference. Hosted by Canadian Organic Growers Toronto. February 21, 2015. Sign up now.

Event: ECO FARM DAY

A winter day full of food, friendship and inspiration – a highlight of the season for organic (and organic-curious) farmers and gardeners in eastern Ontario and western Quebec. February 28, 2015. Sign up now.

EVENT: small farm summit

Don’t Farm Alone! Small Farm Support Group. Febrary 17, 2015. Sign up now.

EVENT: Building the Soils of a Co-operative Food System in Ontario

6th Annual Assembly of the Local Organic Food Co-ops Network: the event of the year for Ontario’s food and farming co-operatives. Febrary 24-26, 2015. Sign up now.

EVENT: 2015 Rockstar Farmer Tour

Workshop for organic vegetable growers with Frédéric Thériault. January 26-February 4, 2015. Sign up now.

PROMOTE YOUR EVENT!

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See full events calendar