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The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Visits Canada
From May 6th to 16th, Olivier de Schutter, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, 
conducted a formal country mission to Canada. De Schutter states that:
“Canada has long been seen as a land of plenty. Yet today one in ten families with a child under six is unable to meet their daily food needs. These rates of food insecurity are unacceptable, and it is time for Canada to adopt a national right to food strategy.”
For more information:
- Read the Special Rapporteur’s preliminary report (May 16, 2012)
- Read FSC and UN press releases and media coverage of the mission.
- Read the presentations made to the Special Rapporteur.
- Read more about the mission.
This visit is an amazing opportunity to
Build momentum from the grassroots to the UN for the People’s Food Policy.
Be a part of it – May 21 - 25
Resetting the Table: A People’s Food Policy for Canada was mailed to all Members of Parliament (MPs) prior to the UN enquiry. Meetings have been held with over 30 members of parliament including several parliamentary and senate committees. This is a golden opportunity to
Put your community’s food issue on your MP's plate and ask how your MP is going to ensure the right to food in your community
Meet with your MPs from May 21-25.
Please share what you've been doing with the People’s Food Policy and contribute your ideas here.
How to Make the Most of Meeting Your MPs
With Warren Allmand and Bill Blaikie
Listen to the teleconference training that took placy on Monday May 14th. Or learn more about it with some tools and resources.
De Schutter's visit is the perfect opportunity to make the link between Canada’s current failure to respect, protect and fulfill the right to food for all – and the need for the People’s Food Policy. This is a powerful message to bring to our elected officials and the media across the country.
Put your community's food issues on your MP's plate!
Special Rapporteur's Visit Raised Again in Question Period in the House of Commons
The UN Right to Food mission has become an issue in the House of Commons as the NDP and Liberals continue ask the government why they refuse to meet with the Special Rapporteur. To read transcripts of these exchanges, click here. Help keep the government accountable – schedule a meeting with your MP today!
Food Secure Canada on Parliament Hill
FSC's Senior Policy Advisor, Anna Paskal, recently made a presentation to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in the context of the Growing Forward policy renewal process. Anna's presentation drew on the People's Food Policy and the work of our members across the country to make a case for a Sustainable Local Food Strategy component to the next phase of Growing Forward. Read her statement here. To read notes on what concrete elements of such a strategy may include, please click here. To read the transcript, click here.
Food Secure Canada staff also recently appeared before the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to discuss how the People's Food Policy can advance innovation in agriculture. To view a webcase of the hearing, please click here. To read FSC Executive Director Diana Bronson's opening statement, click here. We will post the transcript when it becomes available.
Reactions to the Federal Budget
The recent release of the federal budget has received a lot of attention and has garnered several reactions by groups concerned about its effects on food and farming.
Pauktuutit President Elisapee Sheutiapik expressed extreme concern and dismay over the recent decision by the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) of Health Canada to no longer work with the organization on Inuit-specific health projects. Read more here.
The National Aboriginal Health Organizations (NAHO), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the health of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in Canada had its funding entirely cut and will be closing its doors in June, 2012.
Food Banks Canada has examined the budget, guided by its likely effects on Canadian food banks and on hunger. Read it here.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) has released a criticism of the recent federal budget as it relates to food and agriculture. Click here to read the NFU's take on the Ontario budget.
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has released a statement on how the federal budget will negatively affect the health of Aboriginal women.
Read the Canadian Co-operative Association reaction to the cutbacks to Agriculture and Agrifood Canada here (PDF).
Sharing Our Stories - From the North
FSC is proud to announce the launch of a new teleconference series – Sharing our Stories.
The series w
ill present stories about the inspiring work that people are doing across Canada to build the food system we want – one that is healthy, just and sustainable.
The Power of Community Led Food Assessments took place on April 20th - the recording and presentation will be posted soon.
Stay tuned for the next presentation by signing up for our newsletter.
Learn more about FSC's Northern Food Network!
FSC's Networks Attract More Support
Food Secure Canada is thrilled to announce that The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation has approved a three-year grant of $325,000 for our national learning and action work with Canada's growing and diverse food movement. Food Secure Canada expresses its sincere appreciation for the support of The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, and for its ongoing philanthropic leadership in support of sustainable food systems. We look forward to a productive partnership in the exciting years ahead.
FSC Is Hiring!
FSC is hiring a part-time book-keeper. For more information and to apply, click here.
Funding Opportunities
Heifer International Canada has recently announced two funding opportunities:
1. First Nations Agricultural Interventions Research in Canada - Request for Proposals ($10-$20,000)
2. Call for Applications in Ontario ($5000) for projects that assist people in need to engage in food-oriented income generating activities as a sustainable pathway out of poverty.
For more information visit www.heifercanada.org
Meet Our New Team!
We are overjoyed to welcome an amazing new team!
Diana Bronson is joining us as Food Secure
Canada's first Executive Director. Diana is trained as a political scientist and sociologist and has a professional background in journalism and international human rights.
Amanda Sheedy, who managed the People's Food Policy Project, is our new Coordinator. She brings to this work over a decade of experience in participatory democracy, community development and health promotion.
Eric Chaurette is our new Chair. Eric is a co-manager at Inter Pares where he has worked to build greater linkages among social movements for systemic change.
Lauren Baker, Coordinator of the Toronto Food Policy Council, joins us as the new Vice Chair. Lauren was named a Tides Canada Visionary for her work bringing farmers, food activists, businesses, food service providers and government together to find solutions to complex food issues.
To learn more about our new team, read their full bios here!
Connect with the Canadian Food Movement through our calendar of events and by posting your campaign on our website and newsletter. Share and learn from others about northern food security, urban gardening, local procurement and more.
Together we are building a healthy, ecological and fair food system for all - join us!
More Voices Needed on a National Food Strategy: What Happened at the Conference Board Conference?
Who’s setting the table for the food that Canadians are eating? And who should be involved inestablishing a national food strategy for this country?
These questions are answered by Steffanie Scott, director of the local economic development program at the University of Waterloo and Canadian Association for Food Studies Vice President, in an op ed about the Canadian Food Summit, held by the Conference Board of Canada in Toronto earlier this month, and about Food Secure Canada's role in national food policy.
To read a reply to Steffanie's op ed from Conference Board President and CEO Anne Golden, click here.
Celebrating Our Leaders
Outgoing Food Secure Canada Chair Cathleen Kneen was awarded a lifetime achievement award 
from the Organic Council of Ontario at the recent Organic Conference held in Guelph.
Cathleen’s contribution to organics started many decades ago as a farmer on the east coast with her husband, Brewster.
Cathleen’s work in the food systems movement has always been cutting edge. Her mentorship of community food activists across the country has created a generation of folks dedicated to including farmers and food producers in the food security conversation. She has championed organic production as an integral part of both emergency food and long term sustainability.
Joyce Rock, a Food Secure Canada Steering Committee member, is a recent recipient of the 3M 
Health Leadership Award! Joyce was the first person to receive this award for leaders who inspire change in communities across Canada.
As the former Executive Director of the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House in Vancouver, Joyce’s work brought together local residents to create a food charter that inspired a number of diverse programs that champion inclusion and the right to food.
Nominate another food leader for this award!
Federal Court rules that the Harper Government broke the law in abolishing the Canadian Wheat Board
On Dec. 7, 2011, Justice Campbell of the Federal Court issued a declaration that the Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, acted in breach of his statutory obligation to hold a plebiscite of farmers before abolishing the Canadian Wheat Board's "single desk" mandate for marketing wheat and barley.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada, the Council of Canadians, Food Secure Canada, and the ETC Group (the "Interveners") were given public interest standing in the applications for the purpose of addressing important international trade and constitutional questions raised by the Minister's actions. The Court's decision repeats and adopts the Interveners' submissions on these two key points.
Click here to read more (the information above was extracted from and article on Rabble.com)
Read the Globe and Mail article
For a full report from the hearing, click here
UPDATE: The Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board (FCWB) has announced that the law firm of Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP (SGM), working with FCWB counsel, Anders Bruun, has launched a court action in the Federal Court of Canada.
The action would restore the Canadian Wheat Board and recover damages farmers have suffered as a result of Ottawa’s tampering with western grain marketing.
This news comes as a Manitoban judge rejected the request to suspend a federal law that ends the Canadian Wheat Board's marketing monopoly.
More information about the class action can be found at www.cwbclassaction.ca.
MEMBER NEWS and EVENTS
GROW Campaign
Oxfam Canada has launched GROW - a campaign calling for a dramatic change in the way we produce and share food so that everyone has enough to eat.
To find out more, check out the online action centre. You'll find ways to learn, act and share in support of the campaign. You can also check out GROW-related blogs and read Growing a Better Future, the report that helped launch the campaign.
Public Consultation on Urban Agriculture in Montreal
The public consultation process on urban agriculture in response to the petition of nearly 30,000 Montréalers is well underway! Highlights include an Expo and a Public Symposium over the next weeks. For more information, click here and view the video below!
New Trade Deal May Put a Stop to Local Food
On March 5, Toronto City Council voted for a permanent exemption from the Canada-EU
free trade deal. Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam made the following motion titled “Request to protect City of Toronto interests and existing powers in any trade agreement signed between the Government of Canada and the European Union”
1. City Council request the Province of Ontario issue a clear, permanent exemption of the City of Toronto from the Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and that it otherwise protect the powers of municipalities, hospitals, school boards, utilities, universities and other sub-federal agencies to use public procurement, services and investment as tools to create local jobs and otherwise support local economic development.
2. City Council request the Federal Government to protect the powers of the City – to create local jobs, protect the environment, and provide services and programs as it sees fit – from any restrictions to those powers in the CETA.The Toronto Food Policy Council, as part of their work on CETA have produced a number of documents that might be useful to other municipalities working to understand the implications of CETA for food and agriculture. All the materials the TFPC has produced on CETA are posted on the member's blog: http://tfpc.to/news/ceta
For more information, see the NFU website and Why We Don't Want CETA and the Council of Canadians campaign.
Dig In Manitoba
Dig In Manitoba is a cooperative effort between Food Matters Manitoba, local parents, health educators and farmers. It is rooted in the belief that we all have something powerful and important to learn from each other when it comes to growing and eating healthy, sustainable food.
Click here to learn about and sign up for the Dig In Challenge!
Growing Good Food Ideas
Sustain Ontario is excited to announce the launch of its micro-site, Growing Good Food Ideas! This new site is a hub to connect you to good food ideas that have taken root and are growing across the province. Check out this video on FoodShare's Recipe for Change:
Check out the OntarioFoodVideos.ca page to see beautiful and inspiring videos by Powerline Films.
Crossroads for Food Studies: A Fork in the Road?
The Canadian Association for Food Studies is holding its conference and seventh AGM May 26-28 at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.
The conference theme is Crossroads for Food Studies: A Fork in the Road? The subject matter requires the crossing of disciplines and both the coming together and moving apart of ideas, individuals, communities and methods.
National Student Food Charter
Canadian campuses are buzzing with high level discussions about food from every perspective. The Campus Food Systems Project, in partnership with Meal Exchange Sierra Youth Coalition, presents the National Student Food Charter (NSFC), which aims to gather student voices, connect ideas to action, and unify the Canadian student food movement!
They’re sharing toolkits, hosting strategy and orientation calls, and connecting students across the country to support student involvement in food on campus.
The Charter will play a major role in uniting the Canadian student food movement and setting its direction. There are several was you can learn, and participate!
To learn more, check out studentfood.ca!
People's Food Policy
This visionary document was launched in Ottawa on
April 18th, 2011 at a press conference on Parliament Hill.
Click on the graphic to download the full document.
Take action:
- Sign the pledge for a healthy, ecological and fair food system.
- Tell your MP or MPP that food matters to you.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| ReportingNoteDec7.pdf | 148.89 KB |
| RTFCanadaJointCivilSocietySubmission2r.pdf | 477.81 KB |
| StandingCommAGFeb29EN.doc | 2.19 MB |
| SustainableLocalFoodStrategy.doc | 2.19 MB |
| Final_senate_presentation_24-04-12.pdf | 1.46 MB |
| UNPR-May3.pdf | 109.35 KB |
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