Manitoba graded D- in efforts to reduce poverty: Food Banks Canada report
1 in 4 Manitobans struggle to put food on the table, report says
A new report has given Manitoba a near-failing grade on its efforts to reduce poverty this year, and the opposition Progressive Conservatives seized the opportunity to ask the NDP government to explain why the province is falling short.
In its "Poverty Food Banks Report Cards" report, released last week, Food Banks Canada gave Manitoba an overall D-minus when it comes to alleviating poverty in the province, which is down from the C-minus it got last year.
The report grades provinces and territories based on how they compare with each other on experiences of poverty, measurements of poverty, a standard of living, and government progress on passing anti-poverty legislation.
It says one in four Manitobans face difficulties with putting food on the table, up from one in five in 2023.
It also states that 42 per cent of the people who use Manitoba food banks are children, despite making up just a quarter of the population, and that one in five visitors to food banks in the province come from single-parent families.
"Manitoba was one of the better graded provinces in 2023, but it has since declined," it says.
Kirstin Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada, says most Canadian regions scored the same as Manitoba, and the report shows that people are struggling to make ends meet across the country while governments are not stepping up to take the action needed.
"This isn't a report card you'd want to bring home to your parents," she told host Marcy Markusa in a Monday interview with CBC Manitoba's Information Radio.
The report says Manitoba's failing grade on housing affordability is consistent with what's being seen across the country, excluding P.E.I., but remains "particularly striking" as the province has led the way on affordable housing thanks to its rent assistance program.
It's understandable that Manitoba's NDP government needs time to get settled, the report says, but adds that "the clock is ticking" as many in the province struggle with unprecedented poverty rates and food insecurity.
It suggests that Manitoba introduce a poverty reduction strategy for all, with a focus on single people and Indigenous people. It also recommends the province establish a $100-million annual program, modelled after the B.C. Builds program, in order to drop housing costs.
Progressive Conservative health critic Kathleen Cook brought up the report in Monday's question period.
"What grade did the NDP get on poverty measures? An F. What about access to health-care services? An F. Food insecurity in Manitoba, an F. [Manitobans] spending over 30 per cent of income on housing, an F," she said.
Cook also says the consumer price index for Manitoba shows food and shelter costs have risen since the NDP took office last October.
"This NDP premier looked Manitobans in the eye and promised to lower food prices and he has failed. My question is why?"
Premier Wab Kinew said the most recent consumer price index data shows Manitoba's food inflation is the lowest in the country, and his government is taking steps to improve affordability, including the provincial gas tax holiday and a universal nutrition program for school kids.
"We cut the fuel tax on January 1st of this year, and now in the most recent month, we have the lowest inflation rate on food of anywhere in Canada," he said in question period.
"There's still a ton more work to be done, but the steps that we've already taken are beginning to prove results."
But Cook says the Manitobans hurting the most gain the least benefits from the gas tax holiday.
"I think that's cold comfort to Manitobans who are struggling to put food on their table," she told reporters after question period. "For many of them, owning and operating a vehicle is a dream, not a reality."
Kinew told the Winnipeg Free Press in November that the gas tax would result in "immediate" impacts on food prices, she said.
"He's clearly been wrong on that, and I'd be interested to know how many meetings he's had with grocery retailers to demand that they lower food prices, like he promised to do," Cook said.
Molly McCracken, committee chair of Make Poverty History Manitoba and director of Manitoba's Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, says the report is "very concerning."
"It shows an upward trend in poverty rates, and particularly here in Manitoba, we have [an] above-average poverty rate of 11.5 per cent, compared to the Canadian average of 9.9 per cent," she told guest host Chloe Friesen in a Monday interview with CBC Manitoba's Up to Speed program.
She says the report shows that the province's policies are not yet having a material impact, and suggests an enhanced child benefit and higher social assistance rates to help Manitobans.
With files from Ian Froese and Mae McKillop