Mr. Speaker, while seniors and families in my riding of Welland go hungry, the government is spending millions of dollars on treating their friends to rounds of golf and massages at high-end spas, right when folks are struggling the most to make ends meet.
A record 870,000 Canadians are using food banks, 80,000 for the first time. Over the past two years, food bank usage has risen by more than 25%, and 31% of food banks do not have enough food to meet that need.
This winter I will join with community members by participating in the Port Colborne-Wainfleet food bank diet challenge, committing to live off a food bank diet for three days. Organized by Lori Kleinsmith and her team at Bridges Community Health Centre of Port Colborne, this challenge is meant to bring awareness to the desperate situation that so many are facing in my riding.
I applaud the Bridges Community Health Centre's youth health promotion team for organizing this important initiative, because in a country like Canada, no one should go hungry.