Should Government Subsidy Help the Poor People Gain Access to Healthy Food?

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A problem many people have with food banks is accessibility. Many of the people going to food banks often do not have a car or a vehicle that can get them to a food bank. In Ontario, there are only 20 food banks. For a person living in Vaughan the closest food bank would be a 52-minute bus route just to reach. For a person that goes to a food bank via public transport it gets hard carrying the bag of food given to them from the food banks. That is inconvenient for many people especially during Canada’s harsh winters. Often people with food insecurity are not aware of the food banks. Many people feel ashamed to visit the food banks since they feel they are “looked down upon”. If they are aware of food banks, they may visit once or twice because the transportation is just too hard or they feel embarrassed of going back.

Many Canadians are not even aware how many people in the country are food insecure. Almost 10% of people in Ontario are food insecure. The highest rate is in Nunavut almost 36% of the people living there do not know when they will get their next meal. Many Canadians do not even know is that the employment rate for people living in Nunavut is 13.5. With so many families living with low incomes foodbanks are the only choice for many families. A grocery store in Nunavut charges drastically more than a grocery store would in Ontario. An example would be a 24-pack water bottle would normally charge $3.50 in Ontario while in Nunavut it would be $104.99.

The government should provide the people in Nunavut with subsidy so that they could afford the high prices of the grocery stores in Nunavut. Nunavut has the highest unemployment rate and the reason for that is the lack of education the aboriginals received. Many kids living in the reserves often come from unstable families that are still traumatized from the treatment they received from the European settlers. Many of the elders are often alcoholics, drug addicts and most often severely depressed and suicidal. With all of this having a negative impact on children they are often forced to take care of themselves. While the government is mainly sending these kids to foster kids, it is safe to say after years of this happening little improvements have been made. Many people living in Nunavut are living in reserves given to them from the government. While living in the reserves, many Canadians believe that they have a lavish lifestyle because they are being supported from the government. However, for many that’s not the case. Many of the reserves resemble a place of what would be considered a third world country. While living in the coldest territory many of the homes in reserves often lack electricity. If the government can lower the food prices in Nunavut it would relive a lot of stress many families are taking in. Countless people in Nunavut rely more on canned foods because fresh organic foods are mainly unaffordable. A person getting minimum wage in Nunavut would still need to go to food banks because after paying the bills they wouldn’t have enough money to go and buy the highly priced grocery. Governments should give subsidy to the native aboriginals so that they can fend for their families and themselves.

Not only should governments help subsidize people living in territories they should also help the people living in provinces. Often parents who are working do not have enough money to help provide their children with healthy, nutritious foods all the time. What the government should do is start by encouraging schools to deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to children in schools in case they can not get it at home so that they at least get some nutrients. Parents should also receive more subsidy many parents have jobs that just about cover the bills and a little bit extra for things such as groceries. They often buy foods that their kids will not waste. With extra support from the government they could be able to buy more healthy foods for kids knowing that they had a bit more money to spend. Kids will also be able to taste healthier foods therefore develop a taste for it and grow up to live healthy, longer lives. For the government doing as little as making sure every Canadian household had a meal to eat every night it could release a lot of stress parents take in and it would help improve the lives of many families. A child could also improve at school because if they are eating healthy they would be able to focus more and therefore get better grades.

In conclusion Canada’s Government, should offer subsidy to help families end food insecurity. Doing so will help Canada as a country improve because the next generations to come would be healthier in the long run. The government should focus on areas like Nunavut where more people can not afford healthy foods due to the high grocery prices and lack of jobs. In Nunavut, the governments should supply schools with healthy snacks as well as breakfast and lunch options since there is no guarantee that all the children will be able to get food at home. By doing this these kids would have a motivation to come to school and learn and help end the poverty circles they have grown up in. The government should help families afford healthy foods so that they can lead live a healthier, longer life.

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