Canada’s indigenous families were more likely than non-Indigenous families to be food insecure, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.
Releasing the study “Food insecurity among Canadian families,” the national statistical agency said the rate of food insecurity among Indigenous families above the poverty line in 2022 was 31 percent, more than double the rate of 15 percent recorded for non-Indigenous families.
According to the agency, the rate was 34 percent for First Nations families living off reserve, and 28 percent for Métis families. The rate of food insecurity for Inuit families was not available, due to sample size limitations.
In addition, the rate was 21 percent for racialized families above the poverty line compared with 14 percent for their non-racialized, non-Indigenous counterparts, the agency said, noting that the rate of food insecurity was highest among Indigenous and Black single mothers.
With the cost of living continuing to rise, spending more to buy less food is a reality for an increasing share of Canadian families. The proportion of families who were food insecure increased from 16 percent in 2021 to 18 percent in 2022, Statistics Canada said.
Source: Xinhua
