FSC Newsletter - 2012-05
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FOOD SECURE CANADA NEWSLETTER 1 May 2012
UN Right to Food Mission From May 6-16, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Right to Food, Olivier de Schutter, will conduct an official country mission to Canada. This is his first visit to an OECD country. De Schutter arrives May 6th in Montreal, where he will be welcomed by 15 civil society organizations, FSC included. He will participate in two roundtable discussions at an event held from 9:30am-3:00pm at le Carrefour des arts et des sciences of the University of Montreal, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, 3150 Jean-Brillant Street, Montreal. The French-language event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. RSVP to jasmine.belanger-gulick@umontreal.ca. De Schutter and his team will be looking at issues including: economic accessibility and poverty; Aboriginal peoples and the right to food; organization of food chains; governance, policies and programs; and international development, trade and investment. A coordinating committee, including FSC, is assisting in convening a series of meetings with civil society across the country. To learn more, click here.
Our food system is broken. The right to food is being violated. What can we do about it? Making the link between Canada’s current failure to respect, protect and fulfill the right to food for all – and the need for the People’s Food Policy – is a powerful message to bring to our elected officials and the media across the country at this key time. We will be asking Canadians to meet with their MPs from May 21-25 to make the link between de Schutter's visit, the need for a national food strategy and the People's Food Policy. Book your appointment now! FSC will offer a training session with former MPs to help provide tools needed to hold a successful meeting with your MP. Click here to sign up and learn more. The People's Food Policy - Where Are We One Year Later? The People's Food Policy was created to advance the work toward a national food policy and has, in the process, has become a fantastic stepping stone for food policy work in communities across the country and at all levels of government. In the coming months, Food Secure Canada will be profiling various communities, individuals and organizations who have been using the PFP in their amazing work! Our first story comes from Prince Edward Island. The PEI Food Security Network sent a copy of the People's Food Policy priorites to all the parties running in the 2011 provincial election and asked for response - all parties signed on to the priorities. The PEI Food Security Network has included the basic messages of Resetting the Table in a brochure, two school presentations, and five community potluck meals; the Network also held a workshop to discuss the PFP in the PEI context and identify opportunities for future action. Click here to read more and here to let us know how you have used the PFP in your work!
Food Secure Canada staff recently appeared before the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to discuss how the People's Food Policy can advance innovation in agriculture. To read Executive Director Diana Bronson's opening remarks, please click here (PDF). To view a webcast of the hearing, please click here. Food Secure Canada staff also briefed 14 members of the NDP caucus and key policy staff on the UN Right to Food mission and the People's Food Policy. Requests for similar briefings have been sent to the other federal parties.
Food Secure Canada is thrilled to announce that The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation has approved a three-year grant of $325,000 for our national learning and action work with Canada's growing and diverse food movement. Food Secure Canada expresses its sincere appreciation for the support of The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, and for its ongoing philanthropic leadership in support of sustainable food systems. We look forward to a productive partnership in the exciting years ahead. Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN has released a report entitled Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security. The purpose of the Voluntary Guidelines is to serve as a reference and to provide guidance to improve the governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests with the overarching goal of achieving food security for all and to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security. The Guidelines are intended to contribute to the global and national efforts towards the eradication of hunger and poverty, based on the principles of sustainable development and with the recognition of the centrality of land to development by promoting secure tenure rights and equitable access to land, fisheries and forests. A Fork in the Road: A Crossroads for Food Studies
Not to miss: three field trips; the plenary panel discussion (At the Crossroads—Food Studies and Interdisciplinarity); the CAFS 2012 Annual General Meeting; the keynote address (Terry Marsden, Cardiff University), the Local and Seasonal Banquet (catered by Gusto Catering) at the Victoria Park Pavilion, the 2012 CAFS Exploration Gallery, and much more!
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FSC on Parliament Hill
FSC's Networks Attract More Support
The 2012 schedule for the 
