Finance committee  Are you asking about our programs that we operate?

Finance committee  Thank you—

Finance committee  They help in the month that they receive them. They ask us, “Why can't we have this every month?”

Finance committee  I was going to say the same as my colleague here. Food waste is a problem. Food insecurity is a problem. Right now, there is a way to marry a solution that helps with both of those, but ultimately, a strong social safety net that people won't slip through is what's going to solve this for the long term.

Finance committee  I speak about MAID, not from the perspective of our organization having a position on that, but purely from the place of saying that people are in desperate need. Often it's people who are surviving on a low disability income from a disability support program at the provincial level.

Finance committee  There would be two other items. There would be continued advances in child care provision to enable adults who want to work to be able to afford to work. Open up enough spaces that meet the needs in each community. The second would be supports for newcomers to support them to land well in Canada.

Finance committee  I think we have to make a decision as a society, as a country and as communities on what we value. We continue to place value on growth, investment and business success to the detriment of people who are just struggling in unimaginable ways. I think as we look over the coming years, if we are going to see more people lose their jobs and more scenarios where people are lining up outside the food banks, we're not building the kind of communities we want.

Finance committee  The issue is not enough supply of actual affordable housing.

Finance committee  I would say that 30% of our clients receive provincial social assistance. I realize that this is not the mandate of this particular body, but it is a significant portion of what makes up our clients. For them, taxation isn't the issue—it's incomes. Their issue is housing. From my vantage point, investments in making housing affordable would do far more than doing anything that will impact taxation for those folks in the really lowest quintile.

Finance committee  There were early reports on the guaranteed basic income pilot in Ontario of the difference it was making to food bank users in the community, and we were disappointed to see that cancelled. I would join my colleague to say that, yes, we would be interested in seeing the different models of that kind of program and how they could apply in the different circumstances people face across our country.

Finance committee  While we haven't done studies extensively on that work, and we look to our colleagues at our provincial and federal food bank associations to do that kind of work, what I can say is that food banks are the starting place for many people experiencing the social safety net for the first time.

Finance committee  Yes, that's correct.

Finance committee  We operate a home delivery program for people who are truly homebound and can't go to their food bank. Many of them have disabilities or are seniors. As we have built relationships with those folks, providing service to them month over month, some of them have chatted with us when we have called to see how they are doing and to talk about their order.

Finance committee  We certainly see a lot more working folks than we did a number of years ago—folks working one, two or three jobs who still can't make ends meet. We have anecdotal evidence of folks saying, “I used to donate. I used to send cans of food with my kids to their school food drive and I can't believe I'm here.”

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm here today as CEO of the Mississauga Food Bank, the leader of a network of 55 food banks and food programs in the city of Mississauga. Our vision is a Mississauga where no one goes hungry, and we work to achieve that by providing and promoting access to healthy and appropriate food.