Mr. Chair, in recent decades, food banks have become an integral part of the lives of many citizens. They do a tremendous amount of work for our communities year-round, and especially in these times of pandemic.
I'm thinking in particular of the various food banks in my riding of Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, which have worked hard to meet the growing demand from the people of Laval. In fact, several food banks have had to combine a decline in the availability of food with a steady increase in requests for assistance. More than 800,000 people a week use these food banks.
I'd therefore like to take this opportunity to appeal to the solidarity and generosity of all Canadians and to encourage them to make donations. It's a crucial gesture to ensure the survival of our food banks.