Alarming Reports of Food Insecurity and Homelessness in Canada
All regions of the country are reporting an increase in food insecurity and homelessness. Teachers speak of hunger among schoolchildren and food banks have announced unprecedented demand. The question arises as to why a very large developed country with advanced productive farming technique, machinery and methods of distribution cannot feed its people. A similar question surrounds the crisis in housing.
An
answer lies in the overall aim and direction of the
economy of
money-profit for a few rather than meeting the needs of
the
people.
Under the current aim and direction of the economy, food
and
housing
are produced not for their use-value or utility but for
the
prospect of
turning the
commodities into money-profit. Food and housing cannot
produce
money-profit without first transforming the commodities
into
exchange-value to be sold in a marketplace. In a system
centred
on
making money-profit, the use-value of food and housing
holds no
value
for the private owners and
distributors, only its negation into exchange-value and
subsequent
realization and transformation through sale into money
and
profit.
Therein lies a basic problem of the current aim and
direction of
the
economy which gives rise to inequality and intractable
social
and
environmental problems.
Various reforms such as food banks and social housing can alleviate the problem somewhat but cannot solve it. Only a change in the aim and direction of the economy to a human-centred one of serving the people can put the issues of food insecurity and homelessness behind us as a modern people.
Montreal
demonstration for the right to housing, September 16,
2023
In related news, information provided to the public indicates that the federal government is strengthening U.S. control of Canada's food production and distribution
Transport Canada announced a major public payment to the U.S. imperialist enterprise Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) on January 11. ADM controls a sizeable portion of global food production and distribution with annual gross income over $100 billion.
The government will pay $26.3 million to expand ADM's control over Canadian food production and distribution, specifically its hold on Port Windsor which is the third largest Canadian Great Lakes' port. The payment will come from the National Trade Corridors Fund designed to strengthen U.S. imperialism's command of Canada's international trade.
The announcement says public money will be used to construct new grain drying equipment for ADM, expand its grain storage capacity, shipping and receiving conveyor loading capacity, and to develop an automated truck kiosk system. Kevin Wright, ADM Great Lakes Manager, praised the public payment to his global company saying it allows "ADM to maintain and grow our operations."
The owners of ADM are among the richest in the world. Their control of food production and distribution gives them enormous global power to wield events in favour of their narrow private interests. This private control and aim for maximum profit comes at the expense of the people and worsening food insecurity in Canada and elsewhere. Canadians must challenge this outmoded aim and direction of the economy and break the stranglehold of U.S. imperialism over the country.
The demand of the people is to:
Stop Paying the Rich! Stop Paying the
Debt!
Increase Investments in Social Programs!
All
Out for a New Aim and
Direction for the Economy to Serve the People!
This article was published in
Volume 54
Numbers 1-2 - January - February 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/M5400112.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca