August 1, 2024
The Honourable Mark Holland, P.C., M.P., Minister of Health House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Sent via email: mark.holland@parl.gc.ca
Dear Minister,
We are writing on behalf of Ontario Dietitians in Public Health (ODPH) to urge you to increase funding for the Community Action Program for Children (CAPC) and the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP), both managed by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The 2023-24 Departmental Plan has prioritized ensuring that Canadians can access the services they need when and where they need them. Despite a significant rise in the cost of basic living and the complex challenges faced by families across the country, these programs have not seen a funding increase in over 20 years. Adjusting funding levels to align with inflation is essential to enable CAPC and CPNP projects to effectively provide support for vulnerable families when they need it.
ODPH serves as the official voice of Registered Dietitians in Ontario’s public health system, dedicated to advancing public health nutrition through collaboration with members and partners to enhance population health and health equity at local and provincial levels.
ODPH’s Family Health Nutrition Advisory Group of public health dietitians work directly with pregnant people, families, and community agencies, we have witnessed firsthand the significant impacts of CAPC and CPNP. These programs improve the health of pregnant people and children from birth to age 6 who face challenges that put their health at risk. CAPC and CPNP are often the first point of contact with community services for pregnant people and families. These programs provide an opportunity for important screening and early referral to programs and services such as primary care, infant feeding supports, and social services including addictions and mental health.
These programs equip clients with food literacy skills, increase breastfeeding rates, and provide prenatal and parenting education. By providing opportunities to reduce social isolation, these programs support parent, infant and children’s mental health.
Over the past two decades, CAPC and CPNP programs have demonstrated success, as evidenced by PHAC’s program evaluations. Unfortunately, staff involved in CAPC and CPNP report an increased number of families in financial distress, more complex mental health challenges, and a rise in children requiring support for developmental and behavioral issues.
Despite the proven effectiveness and growing necessity of these programs, funding has remained stagnant for over 25 years, leading to significant challenges. These challenges include:
- the inability to offer competitive wages, resulting in high staff turnover and difficulties in filling vacant positions.
- hampers programs’ ability to provide consistent and reliable services, preventing the establishment of trusting relationships with clients. This can lead to reluctance to access community supports and adversely affect the client’s mental health.
- the insufficient funding exacerbates reliance on partners for in-kind services, which places further strain on community support systems and ultimately increases the burden on our overextended healthcare system.
We urge you to consider an immediate increase in funding for CAPC and CPNP to bring funding levels in line with inflation, as this will ensure these vital programs can continue to provide essential services to families in need across Canada.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Sincerely,
Andrea Licursi, MSc, RD
ODPH, Chair of the Executive
Paula Ross, RD
Family Health Nutrition Advisory Group
