Poverty, Policy and Social Democracy

          Even today, many Canadians still suffer regarding the issue of poverty and the inability to afford basic daily needs.  Those suffering from poverty deal with the issue of inequality through the discrimination and ignorance of those who are better off.  If Canada is such a wealthy, developed country, why does our government refuse to help those in need?  It seems like our country can afford to do so. 

          Oliver de Schutter, the United Nations Right-to-Food envoy aims to investigate the issue of multi-generational poverty within Canada.  He explains that “Canada is a system that prevents barriers for the poor to access nutritious diets,” and hopes to convince the Canadian government into developing a national food strategy (Whittington, 2012).  

          Statistics in 2011 provide that one in ten families with children under six years of age are unable to provide enough food needed for consumption daily (Whittington, 2012).  Almost 820, 000 Canadians turned to the usage of food banks, a 31 percent higher rate than during Canada’s last recession (Whittington, 2012).  Whereas Canada is stereotypically viewed as “the land of plenty,” it is not always so.  De Schutter says“[Canada] is a country that is rich but that fails to adapt the levels of social assistance benefits and its minimum wage to the rising costs of basic necessities, including food and housing” (Whittington, 2012).  De Schutter’s knowledge evolves from thorough investigation and observation of Canadian culture.  Similar to the ideas and opinions of de Shutter himself, “Resetting the Table:  A People’s Food Policy for Canada” becomes the result of a collaborative process involving thousands of Canadians devoted to creating a national food policy that would best suit the needs of individuals cross-country (People’s Food Policy, 2011).  It outlines the concept of food sovereignty and the importance of food as a primary foundation in healthy communities and economies (PFPP, 2011).  Both the distribution of de Schutter’s ideas and that of the People’s Food Policy for Canada drift towards a Social Democratic view of society.  

           People’s Food Policy for Canada defines a system in which could provide sufficient amounts of healthy, acceptable and accessible food for all Canadians (PFPP, 2011).  The process of such policy outlines a Social Democratic ideological analysis credible throughout many of its key components.  The development of such national food strategy would ensure that food is eaten as close to the location in which it was produced, involving communities in support of their agriculture and local farmers (PFPP, 2011).  This idea illustrates a social democratic structure in that it involves the belief that all individuals within a cooperative community should have the opportunity to fulfill their moral potential (Reimer et al, 2012).  It takes into note the importance of supporting all members of the community, among that of local farmers who lose money through the import of consumer foods by superior industries.    The policy would support food providers in shifting towards ecological production in the areas of agriculture, fisheries and indigenous food systems, and would also support the integration of new farmers into agriculture (PFPP, 2011).  These ideas provide a social democratic analysis because it involves the protection of basic rights, as well as involves an equitable distribution of the community’s wealth by providing publicly and socially controlled aspects of economic life (Reimer et al, 2012).  Canadians of both rural and urban locations would participate in local organic production, while generating more jobs for local farmers within their own communities.  The development of an educational food strategy, including school mean programs, gardens and food literacy programs would work to ensure the availability of healthy foods to children (PFPP, 2011).  Finally, the development of such strategy would include the active involvement of the public in decisions that affect the food system within their own communities, and nation-wide (PFPP, 2011).  This provides the social democratic idea to advance social justice for those who have been least free in society (Reimer et al, 2012).  It also provides equal opportunity for all individuals within their own community, another present social democratic value (Reimer et al, 2012). 

          The United Nations have ranked Canada as one of the most developed countries in the world.  NDP representative Jean Crowder states that “it’s the least fortunate who must choose between paying their rent and putting food on the table.  That’s not a choice that Canadian’s should have to make” (Whittington, 2012).  The People’s Food Policy proposes an idea for the Canadian federal government to enact a strong poverty elimination and prevention program to ensure Canadians can better afford healthy foods (PFPP, 2011).  This key element reflects the ideas of de Schutter and his proposal for the Canadian government to aid in the elimination of poverty and development of a Canadian national food strategy (Whittington, 2012).  For these reasons, both de Schutter’s and the People’s Food Policy’s ideas need to be taken into account.  If hunger and malnutrition are seen as socially unacceptable issues within third world countries, then why is it the representatives of our country choose to ignore the same issues happening in our own backyard?   Us Canadians must look to the issues revolving around our own nation.  The poverty and hunger of our people can no longer be ignored.

 

-   Kara

 

 

References: 

Whittington, L.  (2012, May 16).  “UN food envoy blasts inequality, poverty in Canada.” The Star.  Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1179208--jason-kenney-blasts-un-food-envoy.

Various authors of (PFPP) People’s Food Policy Project.  (2011, April).  “Resetting the Table:  A People’s Food Policy for Canada.”  Creative Commons.  Retrieved from http://peoplesfoodpolicy.ca/files/pfpp-resetting-2011-lowres_1.pdf.

Reimer, N., Simon D.W. & Romance, J.  (2012).  “Democratic Socialism and Communism:  Ideologies of the Left.”  The Challenge of Politics:  An Introduction to Political Science.  Retrieved from http://college.cqpress.com/sites/challenge/Home/chapter7.aspx.