Canada reeling under massive food crisis, 25% parents eating less to feed kids: Report
Canada food crisis Photograph:( Agencies )
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Salvation Army, a non-profit charity organisation, released the details of the survey earlier this month, which revealed that Canadian parents are facing a "disproportionate number of challenges" related to the cost of living.
Salvation Army, a non-profit charity organisation, released the details of the survey earlier this month, which revealed that Canadian parents are facing a "disproportionate number of challenges" related to the cost of living.
Canada’s food crisis has grown so intense that over 25 per cent of parents in the country are forced to reduce their own intake in order to ensure their children have enough to eat, a survey has found. Salvation Army, a non-profit charity organisation, released the details of the survey earlier this month, which revealed that Canadian parents are facing a "disproportionate number of challenges" related to the cost of living.
"The reality is that many Canadians continue to have trouble meeting their daily basic needs for themselves and, much more importantly, for their children and their family members," a spokesperson of the group was quoted as saying by CBC News. "And that, for us as an organisation, signals a deep, deep crisis for us in the country," he added.
The group also revealed that 90 per cent of the respondents have cut down expenses on groceries to have enough money for other financial obligations.
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This comes at a time when the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing pressure to introduce a break on Goods and Services Tax (GST) for some essential items to keep prices down and fix the cost of living crisis. As Canada heads to general elections next year, Trudeau's administration is wary that the cost of living crisis, bundled with the country’s raging housing crisis, can weigh down its chances of a re-election.
Earlier, the Daily Bread Food Bank and North York Harvest Food Bank revealed in their report that Toronto food banks were experiencing a surge in traffic, with visits exceeding the city’s total population.
The city apparently recorded 3.5 million food bank visits in 2023, marking a 36 per cent increase from the previous year.
"From April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, Toronto food banks served a record-breaking 3.49 million client visits—almost 1 million more than last year. This figure exceeds the City of Toronto’s entire population," the report said.
(With inputs from agencies)
