"Food is a human right that belongs to every one of us," said Diana Bronson, Executive Director of Food Secure Canada, who are organizing the country-wide webinar.
The Canadian Press is reporting that De Schutter's 21-page report:
takes direct aim at some of the core items of the Harper government's agenda, saying they undermine access to food.
These include the controversial decision to cancel the long-form census in 2009, the ongoing Canada-EU free trade negotiations, the scrapping of the Canadian Wheat Board, and how Ottawa oversees the money it transfers to the provinces for social services.
De Schutter visited Canada on a fact-finding mission in May 2012, concluding:
Canada has long been seen as a land of plenty. Yet today one in ten families with a child under six is unable to meet their daily food needs. These rates of food insecurity are unacceptable, and it is time for Canada to adopt a national right to food strategy.
During his visit, the Conservative government's Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq criticized the UN Rapporteur as "ill-informed" and "patronizing."
Food Secure Canada is hoping that the government will take these latest recommendations seriously.
"Millions of Canadians are hungry, we have escalating rates of diet-induced chronic diseases and we are losing thousands of farmers every year," said Bronson. "This is an urgent, national problem that can and must be addressed."
The cross-Canada webinar will take place starting Noon EST Monday, with an additional session Tuesday, March 5 to be held in French.
Original Article
Source: rabble.ca
Author: rabble staff
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