Prime Minister Mark Carney in June announced roughly $3 billion in funding over 10 years as part of Canada’s first national food security strategy (NFSS). The vision to strengthen Canada’s ability to feed itself into the future begins to put some important pieces in place, but others are glaringly absent.

The plan must do more for the one in four Canadians who experience food insecurity. It is surprising that a strategy with food security in the title does not address adequate income supports so no one goes hungry, for example, by increasing and making permanent the Grocery and Essentials Benefit. Nor does it address other structural causes such as equitable access to land for Indigenous food sovereignty and broader community food gathering and production.

The NFSS is an example of the politics — and geopolitics — of the day. The government is increasingly interpreting food insecurity not as a daily crisis for millions of people across the country, but as a national-security issue. As Carney said at the World Economic Forum: “A country that cannot feed itself … has few options.” As a result, the strategy is more about securing Canada’s food supply than ensuring people have enough to eat. No one should be hungry in Canada — ever. That should be the starting point for any food security plan.

Some important pieces are being put in place

Movements across the food sector — from farmers to non-profits to co-operatives and small business associations — have long been calling for generational investments in local and regional food production, aggregation and distribution. The government is beginning to hear that call. The strategy includes a $1-billion fund for food terminals and food hubs, which are crucial for small- and medium-scale producers and processors to supply local and institutional buyers. It means businesses will more........

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