So, Newfoundland and Labrador has a new government! Under the Liberals, we saw important strides forward in addressing poverty and food insecurity across the province. However, there’s a long way to go before we have a province where everyone can eat with joy and dignity. We look forward to seeing this important work continued under the Progressive Conservatives (PCs).
During the election, the PCs released a party platform with some big promises. This includes releasing a new Poverty Reduction and Prevention Strategy, “with the goal of making our province’s poverty rates the lowest in the country.”
Let’s take a look at some of the promises that are closely connected to the right to food for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
PC Party Promises and the Right to Food
All of the following promises are pulled directly from the PC Party’s Platform.
Provide the NL Child Benefit to 3,000 more children
The NL child benefit helps put more money in low-income families’ pockets and has been helping families with the cost of living since 1999. In 2024, Statistics Canada reported that 39.9% of children in NL live in a food-insecure household.
By opening up the NL Child Benefit to more children and families, we hope that the number of children living in food-insecure households will decrease dramatically. The best way to lower food insecurity is to put money in the hands of those who need it, and this benefit would do exactly that.
Launch a responsive Poverty Reduction and Prevention Strategy with the goal of making our province’s poverty rates the lowest in the country
In 2006, the former PC government created Reducing Poverty: An Action Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador. This poverty reduction strategy focused on building a stronger social safety net for everyone in NL and providing more education opportunities for young children and people entering the workforce. Although food insecurity was not targeted in that 2006 strategy, it is a much larger issue today. We hope to see a legislated target for lowering food insecurity in this new strategy.
Launch a 10-year agriculture strategy, developed with input from farmers, retailers, and experts, to strengthen local food production and connect producers with local markets
This is an exciting opportunity for the provincial government to work with producers and retailers to make local food accessible for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The trade war and climate crisis show us how unstable our access to imported food can be. Strengthening our local food systems can shield us from the worst effects of these crises while also creating jobs and boosting the economy.
One of Food First NL’s goals is to get local food on every plate by connecting food producers with consumers. We operate two food hubs (Western NL Food Hub and Avalon Food Hub) and have supported community-based retail projects. We look forward to learning more about this strategy as it unfolds.
Expand school meals for K–12 students. Kids can’t learn when they’re hungry—yet nearly 40% of children in our province live in food-insecure households
Through our Next Steps for School Meals project, we gave recommendations to the previous government about how to roll out the school meals program to children in Pre-K to Grade 9. We are pleased to see the PCs commit to extending this program to Grades 10–12 because all children and families deserve to access school food. Additionally, we are pleased to see the PC promise to “buy local first” and hope to see this idea implemented through a strong local food procurement policy in our school food programming.
Reduce the amount of income tax paid by hardworking Newfoundlanders and Labradorians by raising the basic personal amount to $15,000
This change could positively impact some low-income families throughout the province. However, we know that the households most impacted by food insecurity will not see much benefit from policies that reduce taxes.
At Food First NL and in our work with the NL Anti-Poverty Coalition, we advocate for targeted income policies that would put money directly in the pockets of low-income households. Increasing incomes is the only proven way to reduce food insecurity. In fact, the last time we saw food insecurity decline in our province was under a PC government. As we mentioned, the previous poverty reduction strategy led to an ‘unprecedented decline in food insecurity’ from 2007- 2012.
Take action to increase the availability and affordability of food in Labrador, giving special attention to fresh products and produce
There is a lot of work needed to increase the affordability and availability of food in Labrador. Food First NL, as well as many other grassroots and community partners, have supported programs that bring more low-cost, fresh food options to Labradorians. But only large-scale changes led by communities and supported by government will move the needle on the crisis rates of food insecurity in Labrador.
Raise the Seniors’ Benefit by 20% and index it to inflation
We are pleased to see this increase and indexing for seniors. A great next step would be to index all income benefits to inflation. Benefits that aren’t indexed to inflation (e.g. Income Support) drop in value as inflation increases. We would like to see indexing other income benefits to inflation, especially ones that target adults aged 18 - 64. Single ‘working-aged’ adults experience the highest rates of food insecurity and receive the least amount of provincial support.
Make progress on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
We stand with Indigenous and national partners in calling for the full implementation of UNDRIP. Historic and ongoing colonial policies significantly disrupt Indigenous foodways and impede Indigenous food sovereignty practices. We look forward to seeing our new government work with Indigenous communities and organizations to advance Indigenous rights and food sovereignty across Newfoundland and Labrador.
A Critical Time to Address the Cost-of-Living Crisis
Rates of poverty and food insecurity will continue to rise across Newfoundland and Labrador without bold, transformative, community-informed changes to provincial policies and benefits. Our new government has the critical task of addressing a cost-of-living crisis at a time of geopolitical instability, climate chaos, and an all-time disparity between the rich and the rest of us.
Food First NL will continue to work with our national and community partners, fellow members of the NL Anti-Poverty Coalition, and this new government to advance everyone’s right to food in Newfoundland and Labrador.
If you would like to learn more about the promises made in the Progressive Conservative Party Platform, The Independent created a helpful promises tracker that lists each promise grouped under topics.