Food is a basic human right – but many people don’t have access to the food they need.
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians go to the polls on October 14th to elect a new provincial government. You can use this fact sheet to understand the issue and to ask some questions of your local candidates and the parties they represent.
Background: Access to Food in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is one the most food insecure provinces in Canada. Here’s what that looks like:
30% of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were food insecure in 2024
8.4% of people were severely food insecure (aka going hungry) that year
A standard “basket” of basic groceries to feed a family of four for a week costs an average of $333 – but that goes up to more than $500 in Northern Labrador
The Living Wage for Newfoundland and Labrador is $25/hour but our legal minimum wage is only $16
More than 80% of our communities lack a grocery store and many people struggle to access transportation to the stores that do exist
NL is extremely reliant on food imports from outside of the province; meanwhile Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want to access more local food but struggle to do so
How the Provincial Government impacts your right to food
The provincial government controls (or shares control) of many of the most important systems that impact the right to food in Newfoundland and Labrador. Some big ones:
The Minimum Wage: The provincial government sets the province’s minimum wage and currently keeps it indexed to inflation so that it doesn’t lose value over time.
Income Support: The most basic part of our social safety net is Income Support, and it is a provincial program. At current income support rates, food insecurity is extremely common. Unlike the minimum wage, Income Support is not indexed to inflation so it loses value every year unless it gets a one-off boost.
The NL Disability Benefit: This new benefit tops up the Canada Disability Benefit to provide a guaranteed income stream to folks who receive the Disability Tax Credit; many people with disabilities face food insecurity.
Other poverty reduction programs: the provincial government oversees numerous other programs focused on poverty reduction (e.g. the NL Child Benefit, several small basic income pilots, NL Seniors’ Benefit)
Health care: food and health are closely connected and our health care system has a big footprint in our food systems.
Access to land: The provincial government manages and allocates Crown Land, including for agricultural uses.
Transportation: The provincial government maintains road and ferry access to communities in the province. It does not currently provide operating funds for public transportation, unlike almost every other province.
What isn’t a provincial responsibility?
Some big things that impact your right to food are outside of provincial control. Municipalities have some important responsibilities (see our fact sheet about the right to food in the upcoming municipal election), while others are jointly administered by the provincial government and the federal government.
They include:
Employment insurance (Federal)
Corporate taxation and regulation (Federal)
Fisheries policy (Joint Federal/Provincial)
Income tax (Joint Federal/Provincial)
Land use inside towns and cities (Municipal)
Operating public transit (Mostly municipal)
Policies that could strengthen the right to food in Newfoundland and Labrador
Food insecurity is primarily an issue of poverty. With that in mind, Food First NL endorses the approach recommended by the NL Anti-Poverty Coalition:
Income supports for working-age adults:
Raise Income Support rates so that recipients no longer live in poverty. At the bare minimum, Income Support should bring recipients to or above the poverty line. This change can be understood and quantified through the Market Basket Measure.
Index benefit programs to inflation (especially Income Support). Without indexing, the real value of benefits falls every year. This is an enormous challenge for the lowest income Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. When combined with some of the Income Support reforms announced in the Poverty Reduction Plan, indexing benefits to inflation would provide a much more sustainable long-term approach to poverty reduction.
Raise the income thresholds for access to the NL Child Benefit and Child Nutrition Programs. The recent expansion of these programs was welcome news, but the thresholds for access mean that many households in poverty (and many more near poverty) will receive very little support. Raising the thresholds at the very minimum to the Market Basket Measure poverty line would be a significant improvement.
Raise the minimum wage to a living wage. At the bare minimum, a person employed full time at a minimum wage job should make an income that is above the Market Basket Measure poverty line.
Guaranteed Basic Income
Table the report from the All-Party Committee on Basic Income in the next sitting of the House of Assembly. We are excited to see the work of the All-Party Committee on Basic Income proceed, and we understand that a report from the Committee is imminent. This report must be tabled and made publicly available at the most immediate opportunity available.
Invest in a Basic Income Guarantee. We urge the provincial government to implement a Basic Income Guarantee that would ensure no Newfoundlander or Labradorian falls into poverty. There are a range of costed models for a provincial Basic Income that would have a significant impact on poverty. At the lower end of this range are models that the provincial government could afford and implement without federal investment or additional costs for the average tax payer.
However, in the absence of federal investment, this may need to be a targeted program. We suggest that a targeted program nonetheless be implemented fully, evaluated accordingly, and resourced appropriately through annual budget cycles. This will avoid harmful patterns of temporary pilot programs conducted elsewhere.
Engage in dialogue with the federal government to implement a Basic Income Guarantee. We urge the provincial government to engage in dialogue with the federal government to implement a full and robust Basic Income. We suggest building off the results of existing targeted basic income programs, and any additional basic income programs implemented as a result of the work of the All-Party Committee on Basic Income.
Improving income supports is critical to advancing the right to food, but is not enough on its own. Here are the other big policy shifts we’re looking for. Many of these were developed in conversation with our peers across Atlantic Canada through a collective visioning process.
Set a legislated target for food insecurity reduction: by 2030, reduce food insecurity by 50% (relative to 2021 levels), and eliminate severe food insecurity entirely.
Strengthen our transportation systems. All over the province, people struggle to physically access the food they need because of transportation barriers. Improving our public transportation systems and supply chains will help people and food connect.
Support all food workers, regardless of immigration status, with a livable income and enhanced protections in the workplace.
Support Indigenous food sovereignty by working to reconcile Indigenous food and cultural values with colonial laws and policies.
Recognize Indigenous ways of knowing and working in partnership with Indigenous communities and leaders
Apply a food security lens to legislation and regulations with the aim of supporting local, small scale food production and distribution, as well as Indigenous food sovereignty
Support local and decentralized processing, distribution, and access to sustainable forms of seafood by creating regionally appropriate seafood value chains
Leverage the government’s procurement power. The government can support local food with the purchasing power it wields through public institutions like schools and hospitals.
Provide opportunities to improve food literacy, particularly through stronger school food programs
Invest in meaningful consultation at all levels, with a particular focus on reducing barriers to participation for those most impacted by food insecurity
Prioritize resilient, ecological, local food systems that shorten and diversify food chains, revitalize rural communities, support lower-emissions food systems, build greater resilience to shocks, and act as a lever to positively address the climate crisis
Some questions to ask your Provincial Candidates
We have one of Canada’s highest rates of food insecurity. Why do you think that is, and what would you like to see done about it?
What have you heard from folks who are experiencing food insecurity as you knock on doors?
What would you like to see happen to strengthen local food production and distribution in this province?
How could the provincial government support Indigenous communities in accessing the foods that matter to them?