On October 10, on the occasion of “Solidarity Week”, the Minister responsible for Social Solidarity and Community Action, Chantal Rouleau, invited the population to donate generously to the network of Food Banks of Quebec (BAQ ) in a video posted on his Facebook page. “Let’s work harder. Because the most important action… is the one we take! » she affirmed at the conclusion of her plea for individual generosity.
This week, the 2023 Hunger Report confirmed the seriousness of the situation: one in ten people would have used the services of food banks in 2023, an unprecedented number.
Is it normal for people to depend on charity to be able to eat properly or even to cover their other basic needs? And is it normal for the Minister responsible for Social Solidarity to rely so much on food banks when her role should be to fight against poverty?
Rights to respect
In 1969, by adopting the Social Assistance Act, Quebec confirmed its break with the charitable management of poverty by establishing a universal right to social assistance, which should make it possible to “meet the ordinary and special needs of a family or single person who is deprived of means of subsistence. Furthermore, since 1976, the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms has recognized that “every person in need has the right, for themselves and their family, to financial assistance and social measures. […] capable of ensuring a decent standard of living.
This is a question of rights which have never been fully respected. Seeing Minister Rouleau launch calls for charity to counter food insecurity is nothing less than contrary to the mission of her ministry. Respect for rights should not depend on the generosity of the general public.
Blatant lack of political will
Already in 2016, the BAQ network affirmed in the conclusions of its Hunger Report that “the status quo no longer works: it is time to re-evaluate our approach to the problem of hunger and work for real change. […] Our society could choose to eliminate poverty or at least reduce it by half by 2020.”
Then this week, this same BAQ network reported, in its most recent Hunger Report, a “dizzying rise” in needs and recalled, once again, the urgency of tackling the causes of poverty rather than its effects. “Although essential, the food aid offered by our large solidarity network remains a palliative intervention to the problem of food insecurity. Only the fight against poverty, which involves improving our social safety net, can bring real comfort. There is something deeply broken right now. »
Thus, funding food banks unfortunately remains necessary, but the government must understand that this is not what will reduce poverty in Quebec.
A plan to fight poverty
Next winter, Minister Rouleau must unveil the fourth government action plan to combat poverty. Let us hope that it will be able to adjust its focus and move away from this logic of charity and simple management of the consequences of poverty. The many crises shaking Quebec — housing, homelessness, food insecurity — have a common denominator: insufficient income. The minister must work harder by enhancing public protections so that everyone can at least meet their basic needs.
When you are Minister responsible for Social Solidarity, the most important action to take is not to reconnect with charity, it is to present an action plan worthy of the name.