New Statistics from Stats Canada: 43% of Single Parents and 23% of All Canadians Experience Food Insecurity
Fresh insights from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey Interview, conducted between January and June 2023, shed light on the prevalence of food insecurity in Canada. The survey unveiled that 22.9%, equivalent to 8.7 million Canadians, reported experiencing some form of insecurity related to food in the preceding 12 months, marking an increase of 1.8 million individuals compared to the previous year’s findings.
Understanding “Food Insecurity”: Statistics Canada defines a household as “food insecure” if it falls into one of three categories:
- Marginal food insecurity: Concerns about food shortage and/or limited food options due to financial constraints.
- Moderate food insecurity: Compromises in the quality and/or quantity of food due to financial limitations.
- Severe food insecurity: Skipping meals, reducing food intake, and, in extreme cases, going without food for days.
Challenges for Single-Parent Families: The survey underscored the struggles faced by single-parent families, with 43.4% reporting some form of food insecurity within the previous year. Alarmingly, 22.6% of single-parent families were below the poverty line in 2022, reaching pre-pandemic highs. Lone-parent families now find themselves four times more likely to live in poverty compared to coupled families.
Disparities for Unattached Individuals: Being single in Canada presents significant economic challenges, as highlighted by the data revealing that single Canadians are four times more likely to fall below the poverty line compared to their coupled counterparts. A staggering 26% of single Canadians now find themselves living below the poverty line. Similarly, single seniors reported a poverty rate of 13.8%, returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Childhood Poverty Surges: The poverty rate among children under 18 surged by 3.5% (a proportional increase of 35%) to 9.9% in 2022 compared to 2021, nearing pre-pandemic highs of 9.4%.
Government Policy Impact: Statistics Canada attributes much of the income decline to the reduction in government transfers, such as the cessation of pandemic benefits like CERB in 2022. In fact, the average Canadian family experienced a loss of $4,100 in government benefits in 2022. Moreover, the government’s efforts to reclaim excess CRB payouts further exacerbated financial strains. This stringent fiscal approach resulted in a drop in the median after-tax income of Canadian families and individuals to $70,500 in 2022—a decrease of $2,500 compared to 2021 (-3.1%).
