Wellesley Institute’s 2025 Federal Election series laid out our recommendations for what federal parties can do to advance health equity in three key areas: thriving – policies that will help ensure everyone has what they need to live a healthy life, live in healthy housing and afford healthy food. We have already examined where parties stand on ensuring everyone in Canada has what they need to thrive. Below, we examine the parties’ commitments on ensuring everyone in Canada can afford healthy food. The election is Monday, April 28.
Our analysis
On the topic of food, the three parties we evaluated – the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC), the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) and the New Democratic Party (NDP) – took very different approaches. None of these approaches, however, is designed to make sure healthy food is affordable to all.
The LPC’s platform commits to continuing with the previous government’s investment in Canada’s National School Food Program. The other parties did not mention this program. We hope our next government will realize the importance of expanding this program to ensure all children benefit. More students having at least one free, healthy meal on school days would reduce household food costs, bringing families closer to having the resources they need to thrive. Some research also suggests expansion might also lower prices at the grocery store for everyone. Future consideration should also be given to extending the program to weekends and school breaks. Our kids need to eat every day, year-round.
The Liberals also propose two steps that seek to address the cost of food through the supply chain. They propose to amend the mandates of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency to ensure they consider the cost of food, alongside health and safety, in regulatory decisions. They also direct the Canada Infrastructure Bank to “prioritize” investments that would reduce the cost of food. It is difficult to assess what impact these proposals might have, and the platform makes no claims.
The CPC also looks at costs in the food chain. Unfortunately, their approach is to reverse government regulations that seek to reduce environmental damage from single-use plastics and packaging. The party argues that complying with these regulations increases food costs. However, many in the food supply chain will already have adjusted to these changes, likely limiting whatever impact there might be. Further, policymaking in general, and particularly in equity, does not need to be a zero-sum game, with winners and losers. Hurting Canada’s environment is not necessary to, possibly, reduce food costs. Hurting equity-seeking groups who are disproportionately impacted by bad environmental policies is not necessary to try to help them afford healthy food. There are ways to achieve both goals.
We are pleased to note that the NDP is taking more meaningful steps towards food security. They propose a mandatory Grocery Code of Conduct, which we hope would include important measures to support more affordable healthy food. A revamped code of conduct should also consider equity in the marketplace, including how grocers could help address ‘food deserts’ – areas where healthy groceries are far away.
More specifically, the NDP proposes “emergency price caps” on “basic food items.” Although the proposal does not aim to reduce food prices, let alone ensure that everyone can afford healthy food, it is an important recognition that government must work with our entire food supply chain on pricing. We are also pleased to note that the platform correctly, in our opinion, considers food – like electricity, gas and other utilities – to be an essential good for which government involvement in pricing is not only reasonable, but required.
Wellesley Institute believes government must find a way to ensure everyone can afford healthy food. We have previously recommended government consider doing this by requiring grocers to make the items in Canada’s Nutritious Food Basket available at a price everyone can afford. It is encouraging that one party now recognizes the need for government to step in on food pricing, and that other parties are beginning to recognize the need to think about prices and our supply chain.
Canada’s next government will continue to face a healthy food cost crisis, exacerbated by housing, poverty and other affordability challenges. We hope whoever is elected will continue to work hard, and think harder, on how to ensure they can get everyone in Canada the healthy food they need.