OTTAWA – The government must ensure that no Canadian is forced to live without secure access to safe and nutritious food, said NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, following his meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter.
“Instead of meeting with the UN’s representative and hearing his recommendations, Conservative ministers are refusing to take this issue seriously,” said Mulcair. “It’s unacceptable that, in a country as rich as ours, too many seniors are living in poverty, too many children are going to school on empty stomachs, and too many First Nations communities are living in third world conditions, like those in Attawapiskat.”
Canada is the only industrialized country to be visited by the Special Rapporteur. According to the UN, two million Canadians are currently living without secure access to safe and nutritious food. The NDP Leader also noted that the Conservative’s proposed cuts to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will make it even harder to achieve the goal of Canadian food security.
“Canada’s international reputation, and Canadians themselves are suffering because of Conservative inaction,” said Mulcair. “This is a serious issue and New Democrats will continue to fight to ensure that Canadians have access to healthy food.”
