January 7, 2026
The Honourable Claude Carignan, Senator, and Chair, National Finance Committee Claude.Carignan@sen.parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Éric Forest, Senator, and Deputy Chair, National Finance Committee Eric.Forest@sen.parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Clément Gignac, Senator, and National Finance Committee Member Clement.Gignac@sen.parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Andrew Cardozo, Senator, and National Finance Committee Member Andrew.Cardozo@sen.parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Pierre J. Dalphond, Senator, and National Finance Committee Member PierreJ.Dalphond@sen.parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator, and National Finance Committee Member Rosa.Galvez@sen.parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Martine Hébert, Senator, and National Finance Committee Member Martine.Hebert@sen.parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Joan Kingston, Senator, and National Finance Committee Member Joan.Kingston@sen.parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Jane MacAdam, Senator, and National Finance Committee Member Jane.MacAdam@sen.parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Elizabeth Marshall, Senator, and National Finance Committee Member Elizabeth.Marshall@sen.parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Krista Ross, Senator, and National Finance Committee Member Krista.Ross@sen.parl.gc.ca
Sara Gajic, Clerk, National Finance Committee Sara.Gajic@sen.parl.gc.ca
National Finance Committee NFFN@SEN.PARL.GC.CA
Dear Chair, Deputy Chair, Members, and Clerk of the National Finance Committee of the Senate of Canada:
Ontario Dietitians in Public Health (ODPH), the professional association of Registered Dietitians working in Ontario’s public health system, is writing to urge your support of Bill S-206, an Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income, currently being considered by the National Finance Committee of the Senate. Since 2015, ODPH has strongly supported the concept of a basic income guarantee as an effective policy lever for reducing the pervasive problem of household food insecurity in Canada (1).
Food Insecurity Policy Research (PROOF) defines household food insecurity (HFI) as “the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints,” and further states it is a serious public health problem, a marker of pervasive material deprivation, and a matter of public policy (2). The experience of HFI can range from concerns or problems of food access (marginal HFI), to the inability to afford a balanced diet and/or missing meals (moderate HFI), to extreme cases of not eating for days (severe HFI).
In 2024, HFI in Canada reached its highest level since national monitoring began nearly 20 years ago. One in four Canadians (25.5%) living in the ten provinces experienced HFI, representing approximately 9.9 million people, including 2.5 million children – 75% of these children lived in households facing moderate or severe HFI (3). These estimates do not include First Nations communities or the territories, where rates are typically even higher, particularly in Nunavut. Provincial rates varied significantly, ranging from 19.8% in Quebec to 30.9% in Alberta, highlighting the need for a coordinated national response (3).
HFI is fundamentally an income issue, not just a “food problem.” In 2023, 70% of households with social assistance as their main source of income in Canada reported experiencing HFI (3). However, employment is not necessarily protective – 58.6% of households experiencing HFI report employment as their main income source, with this group showing the largest increase in HFI from 2021 to 2022 (3). A recent survey by Food Banks Canada found that low wages and insufficient hours were among the top reasons people turned to food banks (4). Research also highlights a growing trend of precarious jobs with unstable hours, and a lack of essential benefits, creating significant challenges for today’s workforce (5). HFI is a critical indicator of a household’s financial situation, as households unable to afford food also struggle to meet other basic needs. Incomes have not kept pace with the cost of living – since 2021, the Consumer Price Index has increased by 26% for shelter, 25% for food and 20% for transportation (4).
Extensive Canadian evidence demonstrates HFI is tightly linked to adverse physical and mental health outcomes above and beyond the influence of other social determinants of health. Research linking HFI data from population health surveys with administrative health records, has provided strong evidence that people experiencing HFI are more likely to be hospitalized for a wide range of conditions, stay in hospital longer, and die prematurely (before the age of 83) from all causes except cancer (6). A particularly strong relationship exists between HFI and poor mental health. The risk of experiencing depression, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, or suicidal thoughts increases with the severity of HFI for both adults and youth (6). The health consequences of HFI are extremely costly to Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system (7). Policies designed with the aim of reducing HFI have the potential to offset considerable public expenditures on healthcare for federal, provincial and territorial governments. These savings must be considered in the proposed national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income.
For more than three decades, food banks have been the primary response to HFI in Canada. Despite massive investments in a secondary food system for people who cannot afford to obtain food in the most socially dignified manner (i.e., buying from food retailers), food banks are struggling more than ever to meet demands. In March 2025, there were more than 2 million visits to food banks across Canada, representing a 5% increase compared to March 2024, and a 99.4% increase compared to March 2019 (4). While food banks can provide temporary food relief, they do not address the root cause of HFI – inadequate and unstable income (1). In fact, only about one-quarter of households experiencing HFI use food banks, and for those who do, the problem persists (8).
Over the past 12 months, several Ontario municipalities declared food insecurity emergencies, including Mississauga, November 2024; Toronto, December 2024; Kingston, January 2025; Brantford, February 2025; Brockville, June 2025 and Orillia, August 2025. These declarations clearly demonstrate HFI has reached crisis levels across Ontario, resulting in an unsustainable demand on the charitable food system, and requiring municipal governments and community organizations to call on Federal and Provincial governments to step in with long-term policy solutions.
The only interventions proven to reduce household food insecurity are those that improve the incomes of vulnerable households (9). Research on federal and provincial income policies, including public pensions for seniors, social assistance, child benefits, and minimum wage, has documented reductions in food insecurity when these interventions improve the incomes of low-income households (8). Research on the impact of Canada’s public pension system for seniors provides the strongest parallel to a basic income guarantee. Reaching the age of eligibility for collecting public pensions has been shown to reduce the risk of food insecurity for low-income, unattached adults by almost 50% (10).
Establishing an income floor for working-aged Canadians and their families (similar to the support seniors receive through public pension programs) would reduce vulnerability among households that rely on employment incomes but are still unable to make ends meet, while also ensuring adequate income for those not in the workforce to cover basic needs. According to a recent report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, a national guaranteed basic income would significantly reduce poverty in Canada by 2025 – by 34% for households defined as nuclear families and by 40% for those defined as economic families, based on the Market Basket Measure (11).
Given the magnitude of HFI and its profound health impacts and economic costs, Canada urgently needs income-based policy solutions that directly address this issue. The 2025 Report of the National Advisory Council on Poverty has included consideration of a targeted basic income to ensure everyone reaches at least Canada’s Official Poverty Line through wages and/or government benefits (12). Supporting Bill S-206 is a critical step toward this vision, laying the foundation for a basic income framework that can reduce poverty and improve health outcomes in Canada. ODPH respectfully urges the National Finance Committee to support Bill S-206 and help build a stronger, healthier, and more equitable Canada. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Luisa Magalhaes, MHSc, RD Karina Kwong, MPH, RD
Chair, ODPH Co-Chair, Food Insecurity Workgroup
cc:
The Honourable Kim Pate, Senator
Loretta Ryan, Executive Director, Association of Local Public Health Agencies (Ontario)
References
1. Ontario Dietitians in Public Health (ODPH). Available (in English and French) at: https://odph.ca/section/food-insecurity/2. Food Insecurity Policy Research (PROOF). Understanding Household Food Insecurity [webpage online]. Available at: https://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/
3. Food Insecurity Policy Research (PROOF). (2025) New Data on Household Food Insecurity in 2024. Available at: https://proof.utoronto.ca/2025/new-data-on-household-food-insecurity-in-2024/
4. Food Banks Canada. (2025). Hunger Count 2025. Available at: https://content.foodbankscanada.ca/wordpress/2025/10/FBC_HungerCount_EN_2025.pdf
5. Martin JC and Lewchuk W. (2018). The Generation Effect: Millennials, employment precarity and the 21st Century workplace. Available at: https://pepso.ca/documents/the-generation-effect-full-report.pdf
6. Food Insecurity Policy Research (PROOF). (2023). What are the implications of food insecurity for health and health care? Available at: https://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/what-are-theimplications-of-food-insecurity-for-health-and-health-care/
7. Tarasuk V. (2017). Implications of a basic income guarantee for household food insecurity. Northern Policy Institute – Research Paper No. 24. Available at: https://proof.utoronto.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2017/06/Paper-Tarasuk-BIG-EN-17.06.13-1712.pdf
8. Li T, Fafard St-Germain AA, Tarasuk V. (2023). Household food insecurity in Canada, 2022. Toronto: Research to identify policy options to reduce food insecurity (PROOF). Available at https://proof.utoronto.ca/
9. Food Insecurity Policy Research (PROOF). What can be done to reduce food insecurity in Canada? Available at: https://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/what-can-be-done-to-reduce-food-insecurity-incanada/
10. McIntrye L, Dutton D, Kwok C et al. (2016). Reduction of food insecurity in low-income Canadian seniors as a likely impact of a Guaranteed Annual Income. Canadian Public Policy. 42(3), 274-286. Available at: https://utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/cpp.2015-069
11. Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. (2025). A Distributional Analysis of a National Guaranteed Basic Income – Update. Available at: https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/RP-2425-029-S–distributional-analysis-national-guaranteed-basic-income-update–analyse-distributive-unrevenu-base-garanti-echelle-nationale-mise-jour
12. Government of Canada. (2025). 2025 Report of the National Advisory Council on Poverty. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/poverty-reduction/nationaladvisory-council/reports/2025-annual.html
