In one of the richest countries on earth, Canadians are going hungry. Parents are skipping meals so their children can eat. Seniors are rationing bread, milk, and eggs. Working families, the backbone of this country, can no longer afford fresh produce or basic staples.

This is not a “cost of living challenge.” This is a national food crisis.

Record food bank usage shows the scale of this emergency. In March 2024, Canadians made 2,059,636 food bank visits — the highest month ever recorded. That’s a 6% increase from 2023 and a 90% increase compared to 2019. Newer figures show that in March 2025, visits reached nearly 2.17 million, a 99% increase since 2019. In Ontario alone, over 1 million people used food banks in 2023–24, an 86% increase since 2019, with 7.6 million total visits ... up 134%.

Food insecurity is no longer limited to those without jobs. Increasingly, working families are being pushed to the edge. According to Statistics Canada, real wages (adjusted for inflation) have risen only 24% since 1981,less than 1% per year for 43 years. Meanwhile, grocery prices have surged far faster. Families are working full-time, often multiple jobs, yet their paycheques buy less food than ever. These households often qualify for no government assistance despite facing severe food insecurity.

They are the “missing middle”: not wealthy enough to absorb rising prices, not poor enough to qualify for support, and now they are going hungry.

Working parents should not be visiting food banks. Children should not be surviving on spaghetti. Seniors should not have to choose between groceries and medication.

This crisis is not only about inflation or supply chains. Corporate profit-taking is playing a major role. Canadian grocery retailers earned nearly $6 billion in net income in 2022 — more than double what they earned in 2019. Grocery profit margins have more than doubled, rising from an average of 1.25% (2015–2019) to over 3% since 2021. Pre-tax profit margins across major chains rose from about 2% before the pandemic to approximately 4.1% in 2023. Canada’s grocery market is highly concentrated, giving a handful of corporations disproportionate power to set prices.

There is no ethical justification for record profits in an industry where millions cannot afford to eat.

This petition comes during the holiday season, a time when families should be celebrating, sharing meals, and creating memories. Not worrying about whether they can afford groceries for the week. For many Canadians, Christmas dinner is no longer possible. Parents are quietly reducing their own meals so their children can eat. Some cannot afford fresh fruit or vegetables. Seniors face an empty fridge during a season meant for warmth and togetherness.

No parent should have to tell their child that “Christmas dinner will be smaller this year because food is too expensive.” No senior should spend the holidays alone with nothing in the pantry. No working family should be lining up at a food bank days before Christmas. Canadians are generous, but generosity from struggling people cannot replace bold action from those with power.

We call on the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister of Canada, and the Competition Bureau of Canada to take immediate action to make groceries affordable by implementing the following measures:

Regulate grocery price markups on essential items.

Require quarterly public reporting on grocery profits and pricing practices.

Cap prices on staple foods such as milk, eggs, bread, formula, fruits, and vegetables.

Close corporate loopholes used to inflate prices or hide profit.

Expand the GST rebate and Canada Child Benefit during inflation surges.

Invest in community food programs and school meal initiatives.

This is not a partisan issue. This is about feeding Canadian families. A country where nearly 2.2 million food bank visits occur in a single month is a country in crisis. A country where corporate profits double while children go hungry is a country in need of accountability.

Food is not a luxury. Food is a human right. We ask you to sign this petition and demand immediate action from our leaders to ensure no Canadian, especially during the Christmas season, goes hungry.