The Conservative Party is ramping up pressure on the federal government amid alarming new reports showing food bank use across Canada has reached record highs, with millions of Canadians struggling to afford basic necessities.
During a heated question period in Ottawa on Monday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government of worsening the affordability crisis through runaway spending and fiscal mismanagement.
“How many meals will Canadians have to sacrifice for yet another costly Liberal budget?” Poilievre demanded, citing a new Food Banks Canada report showing nearly 2.2 million visits to food banks in March 2025 — a five per cent increase from last year and almost double the figure from 2019.
The report described the surge in demand as “historic and very concerning,” warning that the scale of hunger now amounts to “an emergency.”
A separate study by the Daily Bread Food Bank and the North York Harvest Food Bank found that more than one in ten Torontonians are now dependent on food banks — a statistic described by advocates as both “shocking” and “unsustainable.”
The Conservatives said the figures reflect the failure of Liberal economic policy and accused the government of making “hunger the new normal.” In a party statement, they said, “This is not normal — in fact, it would have been unthinkable just a decade ago. Every dollar added to the deficit drives up the cost of everything. Debt bursting at the seams means families can’t afford the things they need.”
Liberal House Leader Steven MacKinnon pushed back, arguing that Conservatives have repeatedly voted against measures designed to help low-income Canadians, including targeted affordability relief and benefits for families.
Meanwhile, NDP MP Leah Gazan called for a broader overhaul of Canada’s social safety net, saying “it’s time to modernize” support systems to match the scale of the crisis.
Liberal MP Marc Miller acknowledged the grim picture painted by the Food Banks Canada report, calling it a wake-up call for policymakers. “Food insecurity is real — not just here, but in countries facing similar economic pressures,” he said, noting that the government’s decision to make the national school food program permanent is one step toward easing the burden on struggling families.
As inflation continues to squeeze household budgets and food prices remain stubbornly high, the political debate over affordability — and who bears responsibility for the crisis — is only intensifying on Parliament Hill.