Panel discussion at Carleton marks the official launch of CFICE
To officially launch Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE), an initiative that aims to strengthen Canadian communities through action and research on the best practices of community-campus partnerships, an expert panel has been assembled to examine the roots of our food challenges. You are invited to attend the launch and listen to panelists propose policy and budget measures to effectively and boldly address help for Canadians who are going hungry.
“Food security matters to all Canadians,” said Ted Jackson, CFICE principal investigator and a professor of public policy at Carleton. “This panel is a very fitting launch event for a project that will do everything it can to put community first.”
Based at Carleton University, CFICE mobilizes non-profit and civic leaders, scholars and students through pan-Canadian research hubs on poverty reduction, community food security, community environmental sustainability, violence against women and knowledge mobilization. More information is available at: http://www.carleton.ca/communityfirst/about-us/.
When: Monday, Feb. 4, 2013 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: 2nd Floor, River Building, Conference Rooms, Carleton University
Panelists:
- Stephen Huddart (Panel Chair), president and CEO of J. W. McConnell Family Foundation.
- Diana Bronson, executive director at Food Secure Canada.
- Cathleen Kneen, editor with the The Ram’s Horn and the chair of Just Food, Ottawa.
- Peter Andrée, associate professor of political science at Carleton University.
- Terry Audla, Inuit leader and president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK).
Note: The event will be streamed live off of the Carleton homepage: www.carleton.ca.
The Issue: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will soon table the 2013-2014 federal budget, but it is unlikely to seriously address the problem of food insecurity, which affects nearly four million Canadians. A growing number of citizens, especially the homeless, the long-term and short-term unemployed, single-parent families, Aboriginal peoples and students, are turning to food banks, shelters and other social services to meet their immediate needs.
One of the great deficiencies of our nation is that there is no national policy to ensure food security for all. How can we ensure that all Canadians have permanent access to affordable, wholesome, sustainably produced foods? What should the federal government do to build and support all elements of our system of food production, distribution and consumption, from major supermarket chains to small organic farms? How can the corporate influence on agriculture policy and the budget be reduced and other voices amplified? Can the government help finance the next generation of farmers? What needs to change in order to reverse hunger and nutritional deficiencies in Aboriginal and northern communities? How can food insecurity among students be reduced? The federal budget can and should be used to establish forward-looking policies, fiscal measures and spending programs that solve these and related problems—for the benefit of all Canadians.
Co-Sponsors: This event is a special joint initiative of Food Secure Canada and the CFICE project.
Food Secure Canada (FSC) is a Canada-wide alliance of civil society organizations committed to zero hunger, a sustainable food system, and healthy and safe food. Working at the intersection of agriculture, environment, health, food and justice, FSC works to advance dialogue and cooperation for policies and programs that improve food security in Canada and globally.
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For more information
Steven Reid
Media Relations Officer
Carleton University
(613) 520-2600, ext. 8718
(613) 240-3305
Steven_Reid3@Carleton.ca
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