Calgarians react to federal budget: ‘I don’t think it helps that much’
A slight relief on groceries was tabled in the federal budget on Tuesday, but many Calgarians are concerned it isn’t enough to address the food affordability crisis.
The grocery rebate will provide eligible couples with two children with up to $467, single citizens without children with up to $234, and seniors with $225.
It is expected to help 11 million modest to low-income families.
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“It’s a one time injection of cash into the pockets of people who are struggling, and that’s never a bad thing, but let’s be honest, the problems that people are facing right now in terms of you know access to food and rising costs is a long-term problem, and we probably need to start looking for long-term solutions,” said Melissa From president and CEO, Calgary Food Bank.
‘I don’t think it helps that much’
A Calgarian told CityNews “I don’t think it helps that much.”
“It’s pretty small when you think about a monthly budget.. it’s probably up around $200-$300.. to have that reimbursed.. not going to cut it.. I wouldn’t say,” another Calgarian said.
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From says the demand is up significantly at the Calgary Food Bank, and she believes that will continue to grow in Calgary and across the country.
“Last year in January, February, we distributed 17,000 tampers, which for us was a really big number. And this year, we have already in that same time period of January, February distributed almost 22,000 hampers,” From added.
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From adds the issue of food insecurity is far too complex and intervention needs to be addressed collectively — not just at the federal level, but also at the municipal and provincial level.
In addition, Member of Parliament for Calgary Nose Hill Michelle Garner Rempel calls the budget a “stale, expensive, nothing burger.”
She says the budget will only create more debt for Canadians and does “little to address the needs of Calgarians,” which include affordable housing or lowering the cost of living.
“The Liberals posted a $40.1 billion deficit for [the] fiscal year 2023-2024, up nearly $10 billion more than was forecasted last fall. This flagrant disregard for public finances will only make the inflationary crisis worse,” her statement said.
“That the Liberals spent that much on a collection of rehashed announcements shows a government that is out of touch, out of ideas, and long in the tooth.”
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The federal government announced the 2023 budget Tuesday.
— With files from Alejandro Melgar
