QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Cost of Food
October 23, 2024
Leader, last Saturday, Heppell’s Farm in Cloverdale, British Columbia, hosted its second annual Ugly Potato Day, on which local farms gave away imperfect potatoes, carrots and other produce. Over 15,000 people stood in the pouring rain for hours in hope of obtaining bruised vegetables. Thousands more had to be turned away.
Tyler Heppell said that he heard story after story about families not being able to afford produce and that they broke his heart. While I thank these farm families for helping hungry fellow Canadians, it shouldn’t have to be this way. Mr. Heppell said that he felt this “. . . just goes to show how broken our system is . . .”
Leader, do you agree with him?
On the contrary, I don’t agree that our country is broken. I do agree that the food insecurity that Canadians face is a tragedy in a country as rich, wealthy and well endowed as this one, which has the capacity not only to feed ourselves, but to feed the world.
No, this country is not broken. This country is a resilient, welcoming place. Like all countries, we are facing challenges, and it would be Polyannaish and worse to deny any of that. However, no, despite the rhetoric and the political points being made here, south of the border and in other countries, this government holds a contrary view. This is a country where people should not be interrupted as regularly as I am. It’s a country that offers hope and promise for the future, and that’s what we should be building toward.
These numbers are facts, leader, and it was not like this under the previous government. This government has racked up a shocking amount of debt, yet produce is considered a luxury for B.C. families. On Tuesday, a representative of a food bank in Ottawa stated, “There is a food crisis right now in the City of Ottawa in proportions that we have never understood.” Canadians know that this government is not worth the cost. When will there be a carbon tax election?
I’m sure I’m not the only one who regrets that important issues affecting Canadians, such as food insecurity, are wrapped up in the same old, tired, untested and — frankly — irresponsible sloganeering. No disrespect to members of this chamber, but you would do better, and serve this chamber better, if you channelled your own best views and not talking points from the other place.
