Human Resources Committee on Oct. 27th, 2026

[Louis Villeneuve, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Thank you.

We have barely a minute left.

If you could make just one recommendation to the federal government today, what would it be?

[Valérie Marin]

As I said in my recommendations, I would strongly support exploring the various options. There are several countries around the world that have adopted food waste policies or laws. That is something that is gaining traction. My recommendation would be for the federal government to really examine all the options when it comes to implementing such a policy or legislation, and to provide support for the provinces in enacting this kind of law. I would therefore strongly recommend implementing a food waste policy.

[Louis Villeneuve, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve.

Ms. Larouche, you have six minutes.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'm taking plenty of notes. I would like to thank all of the witnesses for joining us today, especially Ms. Desharnais and Ms. Barry. We also heard a very insightful perspective on Vancouver from Ms. Lavoie. That said, my first questions will be for Ms. Marin.

We come from the same part of the country. In fact, your volunteer centre indirectly provides services in the village where I grew up, as well as at my elementary school, Saint-Vincent-Ferrier School. It's a region I know well.

We also got to know each other through community work. Hearing your testimony reminded me of the work I did in helping establish a food security working group in Brome–Missisquoi as part of my role.

[Valérie Marin]

Yes.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

This is an issue that is particularly important to me.

I would first like to come back to the statistics you shared, particularly your observation that the profile of people seeking assistance is changing. That is something you highlighted in your testimony today. We've just seen the Hunger Count report. The SOS Dépannage food bank in Granby brought this to my attention. Shortly after the report was released, I received an email from them. We'll be speaking soon.

Of course, we continue to see seniors turning to food assistance. There's been a small but steady increase. However, demand from employed individuals is also increasing. It is striking to see that, in 2026, having a job is no longer enough to guarantee food security.

Of course, food prices are increasing. There's no denying that.

Given what you've said, what are the consequences of sustained increases in food prices, not only for organizations like yours, but especially for households, and particularly those living on fixed incomes? Many seniors, for example, rely on fixed sources of income such as their pensions and the guaranteed income supplement. To what extent are these two factors driving the increase in the number of requests for assistance that you are receiving?

[Valérie Marin]

It is certainly true that more and more seniors want to remain in their own homes. It's not just about being able to access food, but having access to nutritious food. Not all seniors can afford catering services or have the budget for it. Maintaining a healthy, varied diet and being able to prepare meals independently can become a real challenge. We have a meals-on-wheels organization, just like in Granby.

As for families, it's certainly true that the demographic is changing, but this is also changing the way our food banks are organized. Demand is constantly rising. In recent years, we have seen an average annual increase of 9% in the number of working individuals relying on our services. We now need to provide food assistance at different times of the day in order to support these individuals. We need to be available. So, we have adapted the way we operate to better meet their needs.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Should we not also consider, from the outset, those on fixed incomes who do not bring in enough money to cover basic needs such as housing and food?

[Valérie Marin]

Yes, absolutely. That is one of my recommendations. I'm sorry, I didn't fully understand the question. That's one of my recommendations. We need to ensure there is financial support for food. As far as family budgets are concerned, we certainly should be working on that.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Perfect, thank you.

Fortunately for you, you have a model in place. You are also making good use of your second-hand shop as a source of revenue. That said, I believe we should be looking at ways to provide you with additional support.

[Valérie Marin]

There's no doubt that securing funding remains a challenge for community organizations. Of course, generating our own revenue gives us a measure of stability and allows us to improve our services.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

You also have to work really hard, and organizing all of this does put quite a bit of pressure on you.

[Valérie Marin]

Yes.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

So, how else can we help you? We'll look into that as part of this study. Thank you.

You've understood correctly; I was simply asking for some further information.

[Valérie Marin]

Okay, great.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

That's perfect, Ms. Marin.

Ms. Barry, I have had the opportunity to visit schools in the riding of Shefford that benefit from the Breakfast Club's services. You mentioned that you have observed changing needs and that more and more working families and children are relying on this support. In fact, there are some schools that would qualify for the program and benefit greatly from it, but they are currently on a waiting list. This demonstrates the need to continue working to ensure that more families and children can access your services.

[Judith Barry]

Absolutely. In the schools currently supported by the Breakfast Club, whether the 600 schools in Quebec or the 5,600 schools served across Canada, we are seeing a significant increase in the number of children joining those who already need this service. Following the pandemic, the increase was immediate. We saw the number of students using the program rise by 50% to 60%. We have also seen a shift in how breakfasts are delivered. Increasingly, programs are being integrated into the school day rather than offered only before classes, allowing more students to benefit from them. So, that is one aspect.

At the same time, the waiting list continues to grow. Because of limited funding, the Breakfast Club and its partners are unable to meet the demand. There are 1,000 schools across the country on the waiting list. More than 500 of those are eligible and are considered to be located in disadvantaged areas in Quebec, but are unable to receive these services.

So, the needs are truly significant.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Larouche.

For the five-minute round, we'll begin with Ms. Falk.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Thank you very much, Chair.

I'd like to thank all the witnesses for coming here today.

It is very alarming that food insecurity is rising at such a rate in a country such as Canada. I come from a part of the country that is known as the breadbasket of not only the nation but also the world. The farmers in Saskatchewan definitely take pride in the food they grow, the quality of that food and their ability to feed people.

I know we've heard a lot already this morning, and this is just the start of the study, but nearly one in five employed people access food banks. That is bananas. It's literally crazy.

I have young children, so I sometimes find myself in places where there are a lot of other children with their parents. It is a very common occurrence that I will be having conversations with parents, whether it's at a sporting event or at school, and they will confide in me that they aren't eating at home. They are sitting back and letting their children eat to ensure that their kids have enough, and they're going without.

We in this place have the privilege and opportunity to make laws that literally affect people's lives at this level. The fact that people cannot put food on the table must be considered with the utmost responsibility and seriousness.

We've heard about the rising costs of groceries and the rising costs of transport. Canada is not a small country, as we all know. I'm in a very rural area, and the closest city centre is about a three-hour drive away, as is the closest international airport. That means everything is coming in by truck, and our farmers are shipping out by rail.

Ms. Desharnais, I noticed when my colleague was asking questions about transport costs that you were nodding your head. I'm wondering if you could elaborate on how that is affecting prices and costs when it comes to feeding kids.

[Julie Desharnais]

Absolutely. Thank you for your question. I'll respond in French, if that's okay.

Indeed, we have seen in recent years that the transport costs for the Breakfast Club, in delivering breakfasts to all its various programs, have risen substantially. We are also constantly talking about the “last mile” of delivery, which is always particularly challenging in rural communities and remote villages. For us at the Breakfast Club, this is also a challenge, because we make deliveries to Nunavut and Nunavik. As a result, we must consider the full range of transportation methods, whether by freight, air, rail or marine transport. These are all factors we take into account.

Over the past few years, we have seen our costs increase by approximately 30%. Ms. Barry touched on this briefly. This applies not only to food procurement but also to transportation costs, which means that we—

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Sorry, but how many years was that? You said “a few”.

[Julie Desharnais]

This is in the last two years.

Over the last two years, however, we have seen a dramatic increase. Because we handle such a large volume and are able to deliver anywhere, we are also in a position to seek out savings in various other ways. That allows us to continue providing our services and delivering nutritious breakfasts every day to more than one million children across Canada. It really is—

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Thank you. I'm sorry. My time is limited. I want to get a question in for Ms. Lavoie.

I understand that your food recovery program collects surplus food from grocery stores, which you alluded to in your opening remarks, and then redistributes it. Even though the food is donated and you're not necessarily purchasing that out of pocket, what does it cost to collect, transport, store and distribute the food?

[Melissa Lavoie]

In 2025, we were almost entirely a food recovery organization. I believe we bought less than 100,000 dollars' worth of food for the 12.1 million dollars' worth of food that we distributed. In round numbers, it took us approximately a $3-million operating budget to deliver that 12.1 million dollars' worth of food.

What you'll see there is that we have an abundance of food in Canada. Some other speakers have alluded to this: We don't have a food shortage. We have a food waste problem, and we have a food distribution problem. I believe this is causing the increase in hunger across Canada.