Poverty Report Gives All Provinces ‘Failing’ Grade as 1 in 4 Canadians Face Food Insecurity

Boxes wait to be filled with provisions at The Daily Bread Food Bank warehouse in Toronto on March 18, 2020. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

One in four Canadians is experiencing food insecurity and many provinces received a worse “grade” on poverty reduction than a year prior, according to Food Banks Canada’s 2023 Poverty Report Card.

“Though deeply concerning, these results are sadly unsurprising to the thousands of food banks across the country who have seen a 50 percent increase in visits since 2021,” said Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley in a release.

“All levels of government and all jurisdictions working together is the only effective way to decrease and reverse poverty and food insecurity.”

The report also found that 44 percent of Canadians said they were worse off financially compared to 2023.

Food Banks Canada first introduced its annual Poverty Report Cards in 2023 to compare how the different provinces are doing in various measures. That year, the province of Nova Scotia received an “F” rating, six provinces received between a D+ and a D-, two received a “C-” rating, and Quebec received a “B-”.

In 2024, seven of the provinces received a rating of “D-” for their “insufficient approach to poverty reduction.” Nova Scotia’s rating improved to a “D-”, while Prince Edward Island’s rating rose from a “D+” to a “C-”, and Quebec’s rating dropped to a “C+”. The federal government’s rating declined from “D” in 2023 to a “D-” in 2024.

Food Banks Rationing

The Conservative Party blamed the Liberals for the poor grades listed in the report, saying the rising cost of food can be directly linked to the carbon tax.

“As a direct consequence of the Trudeau Government’s inflationary spending and taxes, millions of Canadians are struggling to keep their heads above water,” the party said in a press release.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre cited the report during Question Period May 22, asking why Canadians who are having trouble feeding themselves “have to keep feeding this morbidly obese government?”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded by highlighting that the Tories had voted against recently announced Liberal affordability measures related to child care and pharmacare. He also mentioned the $1 billion National School Food Program, which aims to provide meals for an additional 400,000 children.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said more competition is needed in Canada’s grocery sector to bring prices down.

“A lot of Canadians are really struggling to pay their bills at the end of the month,” she said during a May 22 press conference. “And we recognize that we need more competition, more competition in the telecom sector, more competition in the grocery sector. That is the way we get prices down for everyone.”

The Liberal government has introduced amendments to the Canadian Competition Act to strengthen the Competition Bureau’s ability to promote competition and prevent anti-competitive mergers and conduct.