New report suggests 6M more people living in poverty than what StatsCan data shows

Food Banks Canada has released a new report that highlights hidden poverty levels and food insecurity.

The report published Tuesday says that millions more Canadians are struggling to make ends meet when it comes to basic household items compared to what the numbers are currently showing.

The data reveals that 25 per cent of Canadians are living at a poverty level living standard, meaning they can’t afford two or more household essentials.

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According to Statistics Canada, the official poverty rate is even lower at 10 per cent.

Food Banks Canada says that’s because the country currently bases its poverty data on the Market Basket Measure, which is income-based.

The new report says this measurement does not tell the full story and points to the nearly two million visits to food banks across Canada last year, a jump of 32 per cent compared to the year before.

Food Banks Canada is calling for the Material Deprivation Index metric to be used in national poverty strategies to help address food insecurity.

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