Honourable senators, today I rise in the chamber to recognize the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, which celebrated its eightieth anniversary on October 16, 2025.

As you all know, I frequently stand up in the Senate Chamber to highlight Canada’s strong agriculture industry. These sectors work tirelessly every day to ensure Canadians have access to healthy, locally grown foods.

However, around the world, people from all walks of life are growing hungry while food is being wasted elsewhere. This is where the FAO steps in as a leader in international efforts to defeat hunger.

Established in 1945 here in Canada, in Quebec City, the FAO is a specialized UN agency dedicated to fighting world hunger and achieving food security for all. They work to ensure that every person has regular access to high-quality, nutritious foods that support an active, healthy lifestyle.

To commemorate this eightieth anniversary, the FAO hosted the World Food Forum from October 10 to 17 in Rome, Italy, with the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future.” Foundational to this theme are the FAO’s “four betters” — better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.

These pillars guided the World Food Forum last week, showcasing that with new innovations, sustainable practices and cooperation across nations, we can drive the vision of better food production, healthier foods, a more resilient environment and improved livelihoods.

As the FAO celebrates this anniversary, it is important for us as Canadians to reflect on food equity and food insecurity in our own country.

According to Food Banks Canada, 2024 saw a 90% increase in food bank usage in Canada compared to March 2019, with one third of food bank clients being children under the age of 18. These statistics expose that Canada also has work to do in the fight against food insecurity.

Everyone needs to eat, and it should not be a privilege to be able to put food on our tables. Every person has a right to equitable access to nutritious foods.

As the FAO says, even the smallest actions matter, like donating to your local food bank, reducing food waste, protecting soil and water and raising awareness of the importance of fighting for a fair and sustainable society where everyone can regularly access enough nutritious foods.

Honourable senators, please join me in congratulating the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on 80 years of continued advocacy, dedicated initiatives and diligent effort that is providing food for families around the world who are in need.

Thank you, FAO. Your work helps make the world a more just, equitable and overall better place.

Thank you, meegwetch.