Political will required to end poverty, food insecurity in New Brunswick

New Brunswick had the second-highest rate of food insecurity among the 10 Canadian provinces in 2022. According to the latest data from the interdisciplinary research program PROOF, 22.7 per cent or 174,000 people in the province lived in food-insecure households. This represents an increase of 4.3 per cent compared to 2021 (18.4 per cent). New Brunswick is the province with the highest rate of moderate food insecurity. People compromise food quality and quantity due to lack of income.

The populations most affected by food insecurity are children, Black people and Indigenous Peoples. In 2022, 29.4 per cent of children under 18 in New Brunswick were food insecure. This is an increase of 5.2 per cent over 2021, and the third highest rate among the 10 provinces.

Last year, New Brunswick’s inflation rate was the highest in 40 years. Unemployment was among the highest in Canada. Minimum wage workers and social assistance recipients are struggling to make ends meet. New Brunswickers find it difficult to get through the month with rising grocery bills, electricity rates and rent. It comes as no surprise that we have a high rate of food insecurity, and food banks are seeing an increase in demand.

What do we do to reduce food insecurity?

Food banks are currently indispensable, but they are not a long-term solution. Many studies show that food insecurity ends with policy interventions and better income for people living in poverty and low-income households. This is exactly what the Common Front for Social Justice has been advocating for for years, in particular:

• Increase the minimum wage to a living wage. According to the latest study by the Human Development Council, a living wage in New Brunswick averages $20 an hour across the province;
• Increase social assistance rates to the poverty line. Rates are among the lowest in Canada, and recipients live in extreme poverty.

Decades ago, the government set itself the goal of eliminating poverty. To do so, it must invest in people, social programs, public services, health care and education. It has the means to fight social inequality and poverty. The provincial government can use the budget surpluses accumulated over the past few years. It can put in place fiscal solutions to collect millions of dollars. All it takes is the political will of our government to put an end to poverty and food insecurity in our province.

Janelle LeBlanc is provincial coordinator of the New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice.