A man butters a dinner roll as he eats a Thanksgiving meal at the Ottawa Mission in Ottawa in October 2023. Food insecurity is on the rise in Canada, particularly in households with children.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The persistence of food insecurity in Canada is a policy choice. By not doing more to improve the adequacy and stability of household income, governments are choosing to let food insecurity fester.
Putting money in the pockets of Canadians most in need via the grocery rebate or a guaranteed basic income has myriad benefits for people, families and the economy.
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Initiatives like the federal government’s new grocery rebate are only a small step towards ending food insecurity in Canada. A broader guaranteed basic income is long overdue.
The federal government’s grocery rebate will provide one-time monetary relief to 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians and families.
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The federal government should make the grocery rebate permanent by adding it to the GST/HST credit.
The high cost of groceries is exacerbating food insecurity in Canada, but the federal government’s new ‘grocery rebate’ doesn’t go far enough to help.
(Unsplash/Vicky Mohamad)