Results from an annual national poverty survey paint a worsening picture of food affordability in Canada, especially for young people, as tariffs imposed by the United States continue to shake up the Canadian economy.
The Salvation Army’s 2026 Poverty and Socioeconomic Analysis, released today, polled more than 1,500 Canadians and found that 31 per cent skipped meals or reduced their meal sizes because they couldn’t afford groceries, up from 27 per cent one year ago.
The number of people who reported using community supports such as food banks was also up — 15 per cent of those surveyed this year, compared with 11 per cent last year.
Young people report an even worse situation, according to the research conducted by Edelman Data and Intelligence on behalf of the Salvation Army.
Forty-one per cent of respondents aged 18-34 said they skipped meals, 10 percentage points higher than the average, and 23 per cent said they accessed food supports.
A separate report from Daily Bread Food Bank says the number of children struggling with food insecurity in Toronto has risen, as food bank visits held steady at more than 4.1 million visits for the second year.
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The survey also suggests that Canadians are more concerned about U.S. tariffs and their effect on the economy than last year, with nearly nine in 10 saying they were worried the trade war would spike prices for everyday goods.
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Three in five surveyed reported their household was already feeling the pinch from U.S. tariffs.
The survey was conducted over several days in September among a nationally representative sample of Canadians, including some current and past users of Salvation Army services, who are members of the online Angus Reid Forum. Residents of Canada’s territories were not included in the survey and a margin of error cannot be calculated for a non-probability sample, the report noted.
On the housing front, half of respondents said they aren’t confident they could find another home in their area that was both affordable and met their household needs, while 24 per cent said they spend at least half their after-tax income on housing costs.
To cover basic needs, 50 per cent of Canadians polled said they dipped into savings while 40 per cent reported taking on debt or using credit.
Glenn van Gulik, a strategic engagement director for the Salvation Army, called the results “deeply concerning.”
“For many families, making ends meet is no longer about cutting back on extras. It’s about making difficult choices between food, housing and other basic necessities,” van Gulik wrote in a statement.
Since Pierre Trudeau, there hasn’t been an economy, 80% is US and foreign owned and changing to metric limiting trade with Britain cost millions, then begin to rely on the Americans, Canada isn’t a country it’s a reliability
Anonymous 1.40. Yes let’s wage war on the boomers that are struggling with having to decide what to pay for this month like rent, food, medicine or heat because the only income they get are pensions. Why not blame who is responsible for this mess Carney and this Liberal government that has our economy down the drain.
This situation has been long in the making and most of the blame for it has to fall squarely on the shoulders of the Liberals under Trudeau and Carney.
Canada was in a dire fiscal state before the tariffs due to the Trudeau Liberal government mismanagement of our economy, now it is Carney who’s policies are causing food insecurity. In a country as resource rich as Canada it is an absolute disgrace that millions of people are using food banks and skipping meals in order to pay rent or mortgages and keep a roof over their head. There is plenty of blame to go around and Trumps tariffs have their share but the most blame has to be in the Liberals who have been government for almost 12 years.
This report says 15% are using food banks and supports. But that’s of the people surveyed. When you do the math with the total numbers, it’s maybe 6%. So six out of 100 people in your neighbourhood are using some sort of food support.
I’m not saying having anyone struggling to cover living expenses is what any of us would want. Especially if they’re willing and able to work.
Just not sure I can trust the numbers of this article.
All the Liberals with their inflation adjusted pensions and paid off homes quickly flood the comments telling their fellow Canadians that the pain theyre feeling isnt real. If you’re complaining that your stomach is empty, in their opinion, you must hate Canada.
Walter – spoken like a true Liberal. What happens when the food banks run out of food? Already many of them have had to reduce what they can give out.
The media used to be like “All the news that’s fit to print”.
Now they be like “Only the “news” that fits the LPC’s narrative.
How did we get here, eh?
“Prime Minister, know that the 180K people who work in the (media) industry, have your back, just like you have ours,”
– Reynolds Mastin, President and CEO of the Canadian Media Producers Association, Ottawa. January 2026.
Being a Maple MAGAteer means not having to say your sorry for the lost decade of socio-economic rot Trudeau, Carney, the media, and the Elbows Up profiteers inflicted on Canada.
Being a Elbows Up profiteer mean shifting the blame for the self-inflicted lost decade of socio-economic rot you, Trudeau, Carney, and the media inflicted on Canada on, Harper, COVID. Freedom Convoy, Putin, Poilievre, Maple MAGA, Brady Tkachuk, and Trump.
I won’t be wearing poppy this year to protest the Elbows Up profiteers and their “Canada Last” comrades exploiting the sacrifice made by Canada’s finest on the Battlefields of WWI, WWII, Korea, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, and peacekeeping missions, for fun. profit and political gain.
YET they vote liberal or NDP. Take your taxes and give hand out to sheep.pigs 8 sheep 2 out of pocket. Pigs I mean goverment and assorted toadies.
Rob Carrick and Andrew Coyne are goofballs who have no clue what they’re talking about.
Yes, I see this every day
Dollar store sells food and if necessary they can always go to the food bank.
@Morons like Ben – “Carney said that Canada is the most affordable it’s been in a long time ” Show a video Carney saying that. It’s another MAGA traitors lies.
Carney said that Canada is the most affordable it’s been in a long time ! Bahah elbows up assholes wait till his party increases immigration targets this week !
Ben: “Carney has done a fairly good job”??? reality check: He ran on the platform that he knew how to handle Trump, and there would be no tariffs. How was that failure a fairly good job? The retaliation tariffs have increased prices of goods in Canada. He did remove the federal tax on fuel, but then he spends it on EV subsidies and donations to Ukraine war continuation and grift to Natives. He did not remove the carbon tax as promised, it is still on commercial use, which is passed on to us with higher prices.
@Ben
I do commend your thoughts on provincial trade and effective monopolies in Canada.
@Ben
How much do the Libs have to fail before who hold them to account?
But keep voting Liberal everyone…because it’s Pierre and Trump who are to blame. Neither of them run Canada, but its still their fault.
I love how Rob Carrick of Globe and Mail thinks people are draining TFSAs because of retirement and raising children, not Mark Carney’s worthless economy.
Clowns
Amazing how we can go from almost eradicating poverty less than four years ago to some of the highest levels in living memory, all because the Liberals and Conservatives united to end programs that were demonstrably working. Since then we’ve proven over and over that the solutions were, and continue to be, cheaper than the status quo.
Makes you wonder why it is that we’re so arrogant defensive about getting it wrong, and doubling down on things that don’t work.
Nearly a third of Canadians are skipping meals due to food insecurity. The Federal Liberal Government in responce said in that case tax the remaining 2/3 harder then.
There’s clearly no food insecurity in ‘Murica because everyone’s fatter than cows on growth hormones. Another W for Orange Fat Jesus.
It’s not just comfortable retirees with the attitude though. The “Heck with you, I got mine” attitude is engrained right in today’s graduates whose parents or connections landed them cushy 6-figure jobs. It’s the liberal attitude.
Time for a war with the boomers.
What upper middle class people (business owners, doctors, dentists, nurses, STEM professionals, politicians) fail to understand is insurance, food, vehicle repairs, utility bills and fuel represent a higher proportion of a working class person’s income. For people making $30k per year, those costs take up more of their money compared to someone earning $100-300k. I wish people would get of their high horse with all that “working class workers don’t deserve raises” nonsense.
It is fine for Carney to eat a 160,000-dollar airplane meal; the poor just need to eat less. The less they eat, the higher their elbows can be raised and the more patriotic they become. The goal of the Carney government is to strive for only one meal a day to reduce waste, achieving the purpose of environmental protection and emission reduction! It has been two years, life is getting increasingly bitter, and the waistband has to be tightened by another loop.
ASK YOUR LIBERAL HERO CARNEY, IF HE GIVES A F/ K ?
“You will own nothing and be happy….”
I’ve always wondered if that’s the Government’s code for “You’ll all be dead…”
Never thought id see the day where Ben looks at facts over emotions for once. Using logic to overcome severe ideological brainwashing is the first step to using more than 3 brain cells in your day to day.
Keep it up Ben!
Most of those Canadians skipping meals are seniors to pround to use a food bank they worked hard all their lives so they could enjoy retirement and now facing Financial uncertainty. Thx Trudeau & Carney.
Elbows up you absolute morons
@BEN
Your last sentence reeks of irony.
“We really are LEFT with no choice at this point.”
If anyone is on X and has a chance you should really look up the creator “Moose on the Loose” @dsimieritsch and you will be astounded by the amount of corruption and fraud that is being perpetrated by the Carney government… But hey, facts, amirite liberals??
But Canada’s economy is thriving according to Carney and his pack of cronies. Lets keep going with the status quo here sheep, nothing to see here. The budget will balance itself….
“You will end up owning nothing, and you will be happy about it.”
Signed,
The Lieberal Party of Canada
The Carney government has done a fairly good job of trying to address food insecurity in the short and longer term.
But the government needs to go MUCH further, because Canada has a productivity problem. To address this: 1)we must eliminate provincial trade barriers in goods and workers; 2)address excessive concentration in industries like telecommunications and cable sectors.
I come from the left but ultimately we must take good ideas from the right and left to get our productivity and growth on a solid upward trajectory.
So that means targeted government support towards those of lower income, greater competition, and difficult reforms in protected industries and occupations.
We really are left with no choice at this point.
This situation is a disgrace for a country like Canada. It’s about time all money going to other countries need to stop till all Canadians are helped with food prices and essentials.
The Liberals with first Trudeau, now with the same government with Carney…same party folks…keep focused, have run the country into the ground. We never had food banks over run with hungry families. Huge debt. Cost of living goung thru the roof. Sadly this will continue as fools blindly vote Liberal every four years. Fear of change? Who knows.
Remember when Carney said to judge him based on the prices in grocery stores?
Does he still want us to go by that?
Elbows Up