FSC News
The Right to Food in Canada - A Community Conversation
On March 4 and 5, more than 60 communities across the country took part in a conversation with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter.
From community centers to universities, the enthusiasm around this event was resounding. Furthermore, the rapporteur's report was brought to the House of Commons, and garnered national news coverage.
A Big Thank You!
This event would not have been possible without the organizers who bridged the gap between this international UN body and communities across the country.
We also want to thank our donors : CHEP Good Food Inc., the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, CFICE, Québec en forme, REACH, Toronto Food Policy Council, Winnipeg Harvest, Anna Paskal, Brynne Sinclair-Waters, Kathleen Gibson, Meyer Brownstone, France Benoit, Kathleen Charpentier, Leslie Laskarin, the Zugunruhe Project, Ulrich Teucher, Wanda Martin, Catherine White and John Foster. If you wanted to donate but did not get around to it, donate today!
Government's Response
Parallel to this spectacular country-wide mobilization, the government's response to the final report of the UN Special Rapporteur was disappointing. FSC invited both Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird and Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq to seriously consider the recommendations of this report, and to meet with FSC, neither of which has yet transpired.
But the UN Right to Food rapporteur need not take this reaction personally as the government has clearly embarked on a diverging path that steers away from its customary collaboration with UN bodies. For example, the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples has seen his request for an official visit to Canada politely ignored for over a year now.
On April 26, 2013, Canada will be examined by the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on the current status of human rights in Canada. Read the joint statement prepared by a coalition of NGOs on the process.
FSC Participates in the Food & Farm Justice Consultation in Philadelphia
From March 8-10, 2013, FSC joined 50 organizations from Canada and the USA for a consultation on food justice. This event, a first of its kind, was organized by Oikotree North America and gathered secular and interfaith representatives. Among the Canadian delegation was FSC’s Nydia Dauphin as well as representatives from FarmStart, FoodShare Toronto, the United Church of Canada, GRAIN, Kairos, Growing Food Security in Alberta and the National Farmers Union. Read more.
Put Food in the Budget
 Press Release
Having no national food policy is expensive, costing Canadian taxpayers billions in stopgap programs that don’t address the underlying issues. For the first time, FSC has been actively researching and lobbying to put food in the budget – something we intend to pursue in the years to come. Continue to read.
Sharing our Stories Series
On March 20, FSC hosted a webinar in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives about the Federal Budget, the Alternative Federal Budget and the first ever chapter on Food Sovereignty. Listen to it here.
Speak Out for Food Democracy on Our New Blog!
The Conference Board of Canada will convene a Food Summit April 9 and 10 in Toronto where participants will further elaborate its industry-sponsored Canadian Food Strategy. The cost of admission is more than $1,000 and, despite repeated requests, Food Secure Canada has not been invited to discuss national food policy in this venue.
We are concerned that the values of thousands of Canadians will not be included in discussions that may contribute to formation of national policy. Read more to chime in on this cross-country exchange.
News from the Local and Sustainable Food Systems Network
The Network met face to face in November 2012 and held our first conference call on February 14th. Jordan Nicoloyuk with Ecology Action Centre spoke about their work with sustainable fisheries, followed by Mary Lindsay with Living Oceans Society who spoke about their sustainable seafood initiatives. The two presentations highlighted the logic of working across land and water-based food systems, given all the shared challenges and opportunities facing the two sectors.
Continue reading to access the powerpoint presentation and upcoming events.
Grand rassemblement - Quebec en forme
Over 1000 enthusiastic participants gathered in Quebec City on March 19-20 for two days of workshops, networking and learning from different communities on how to get Quebec youth to eat healthy and be more physically active. FSC's Executive Director spoke about the People’s Food Policy during a full-day panel on the relationship between Agriculture and Healthy Eating. Lots of interest and new relationships generated!
FSC welcomes Ibrahima to the team!
 Ibrahima Diagne has worked for several years in the management of development projects in Senegal, mainly in RADI. He has also accompanied several civil society organizations in the development and implementation of administrative and financial procedures. He holds a BA in Economics and a Masters in Accounting and Financial Management. He will be joining us for 6 months as an intern and is eager to get to know the food movement in Canada. He can be reached at intern [at]foodsecurecanada[dot]org.
Calling all Volunteers - Graphic Designers
There are lots of ways to show FSC your support. One of them is through volunteering some of your precious time. Maybe you would like to donate food for one of our meetings, or airline points to support our travel. Just think what you might have that we might need.
Are you a food activist trapped in a graphic designer's body? Weep no more.
We are looking for a skilled graphic designer to create engaging images for events, campaigns, webinars and more. If you are passionate about food and good at conveying complex issues with images please get in touch! The time commitment is occasional based on FSC's needs.
If you are interested please send your CV and / or portfolio (web-based is fine) to communications[at]foodsecurecanada[dot]org
Click here for other opportunities.
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