Statement made on 02 November 2011 by Senator Art Eggleton
Hon. Art Eggleton:
Honourable senators, Food Banks Canada released its annual hunger count yesterday. They reported that food bank usage is 26 per cent higher than it was in 2008. It is the second highest level for food bank use on record. This sends the unfortunate message that the effects of the recession are still being felt across the country by average Canadians. Each month, 851,000 people use a food bank, with 322,000 of those being children; that is 38 per cent. FBC reports that even people with jobs are having difficulty and that one-in-five families who use a food bank are also working people.
Will the government commit to working with the provinces to establish a pan-Canadian poverty reduction strategy, such as that recommended in the report In From the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness, which was adopted unanimously by the Senate?
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