OTTAWA --
The Green Party of Canada is observing the United Nations’ International Day
for the Eradication of Poverty by calling on the Canadian government to make
the eradication of poverty globally a central goal of our foreign policy. “Yesterday was World Food Day and today is a
day about poverty. Obviously these issues are inextricably linked and Canada’s
development aid efforts should have a strong focus on agriculture as a means to
ensure food security for the very poor,”said Green Leader Elizabeth May, Member
of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands.
The Green
Party urges Canada to focus economic investment on agricultural sectors that
provide for food sovereignty through both subsistence farming and domestic
commercial farming methods that are in keeping with green environmentally sound
and gender equality principles. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization
reports that almost a billion people are going hungry, 13.6% of the world’s
population, due to neglect of agriculture, the economic crisis, and the
increase in food prices, exacerbated by climate change.
“Rising
food prices will be extremely hard to bear for the world’s poor. For this complex problem, we must have
complex solutions, including supporting and enabling small farmers and
increasing food security,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.
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Contact Information:
Rebecca Harrison
[email protected]
c: 905.999.5479