You are probably worried. If Trump’s threatened tariffs go through, they could impact you, your family, and people in your community. At Food Secure Canada, we are worried too. We know that a trade war with the United States would hit everyone hard. And many of us simply can’t afford further precarity, especially when it comes to the cost of basic goods, like food and housing. If Trump does follow through on his threats, there will be a serious crisis—on top of an already-serious crisis.
At Food Secure Canada, we have been advocating for local, democratic, and ecological food systems that are resilient to shocks such as these. While our movements have had many gains, recent years have seen sky-high rates of food insecurity and food price inflation, even as corporate food retailers made massive profits. The tariffs will further exacerbate these extremes. The government could have made real efforts to tackle poverty and corporate concentration in our food systems. Instead, we got ineffective measures like a grocery code of conduct and a failed bid to bring in more multinational retailers. If the government had listened, we’d be in a much better position now.
Trump’s tariff threats should be a wake-up call. Now is the time to build food sovereignty in Canada, putting households, workers, farmers, and Black & Indigenous communities first.
– Marissa Alexander and Wade Thorhaug, Co-Executive Directors, Food Secure Canada
It’s not too late. We can stand together during these difficult times. To help build this movement, we are launching a campaign for the upcoming Federal election. Stay tuned, donate, and reach out if you’d like to get involved.