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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 93

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 21, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 93 - Jun/21/22
Mr. Dave Epp (Chatham-Kent—Leamington, CPC)
  • Jun/21/22 2:17:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every Canadian and every human being should have access to food. On June 8, I attended the retirement of Jim Cornelius, the accomplished executive director of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank for over 24 years, five of which overlapped my time with that organization. Established in 1983, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank has a footprint that can be seen all across Canada in growing projects in farm fields. Local community groups, farmers and church groups dedicate the proceeds of a crop, which are matched by additional Canadian donors and then matched again by the federal government, to efforts to alleviate hunger. My own riding has several such growing projects in Chatham, Leamington, Wheatley, Blenheim and South Buxton, with over 220 across Canada. Collectively, we were making progress toward ending hunger, but conflicts and war have reversed those improvements. Now, with Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, the world needs more Canadian grain, more Canadian energy and more Canadian expertise in food production. A recent U.S. president stated, “The world needs more Canada.” I agree. Our own security is enhanced when global destabilization does not happen because of global food and energy insecurity.
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