Mr. Speaker, Saturday, October 16 has been designated World Food Day.
At the world food summit in Rome in November 1996 Canada joined 186 other nations to endorse the summit's goal, which is to reduce the number of undernourished people by half by the year 2015. Canada's action plan for food security, launched by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food on World Food Day last year, is the result of that commitment.
As a major exporter of food and related products and expertise, and as one of the largest donors of food aid, Canada has made some very valuable contributions to world food security.
Fighting food insecurity is a collective effort by government, by civil society, by business and by communities. It is also an individual effort from all of us. On behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and myself I encourage everyone to demonstrate their concern by contributing a food donation to their local food bank.
This year's theme is “Youth Against Hunger”. This is a good time to remind Canada's young people of the positive role they can play in the fight against worldwide hunger and in the achievement of food security for all.