The passage of Bill C-15 (Budget Implementation Act, 2025) on March 26, 2026 marks meaningful progress in addressing poverty and food insecurity in Canada. At Daily Bread Food Bank, we welcome the inclusion of two measures we have long advocated for: exempting the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) from income calculations and advancing the National School Food Program Act.
Exempting the CDB from being counted as income is a critical policy decision that helps ensure the benefit delivers additional support to those who need it. Without this safeguard, there was a significant risk that recipients would see their benefits reduced through claw backs in other programs—undermining its intended impact.
This change is especially important given the scale of need. People with disabilities in Canada face significantly higher rates of poverty and food insecurity and are overrepresented among food bank users. In Toronto, nearly 1 in 3 food bank clients report living with a disability or chronic health condition while navigating inadequate and unstable income supports.
This progress with CDB reflects sustained advocacy across the sector. Through Daily Bread’s Fund the Benefit campaign, a coalition of over 30 organizations mobilized more than 27,000 supporters to send over 100,000 letters to federal decision-makers, calling for a benefit that meaningfully reduces poverty without claw backs. This collective effort reinforced a clear message: income supports must be designed to lift people with disabilities out of poverty—not keep them trapped in it.
The National School Food Program Act is another important step forward. It establishes a national framework to expand access to school food programs, with federal investment expected to reach hundreds of thousands more children each year.
The need is clear. Food insecurity and poverty continue to affect a growing number of families, and children are not spared from its impacts. In Toronto, 1 in 4 food bank clients are children, but schools and community partners are increasingly stepping in to meet rising need, with student nutrition programs playing a critical role in ensuring children can learn, grow, and participate fully in school.
Daily Bread was proud to stand alongside Mayor Olivia Chow in support of Toronto’s Universal Student Nutrition Program, and we are encouraged to see this federal co-investment build on that momentum. Expanding access to school food programs is a practical and evidence-based way to reduce barriers to learning, support family budgets, and promote dignity by ensuring programs are accessible without stigma.
These measures represent important progress and demonstrate what can be achieved through coordinated advocacy and government action.
However, food insecurity continues to rise at an unprecedented pace. Hunger is not driven by a lack of food—it is the result of inadequate incomes, unaffordable housing, and precarious work.
Daily Bread Food Bank will continue working with all levels of government and partners across the sector to advance lasting solutions focused on affordable housing, decent work, and strong supports. We also look forward to contributing to the development of a federal food security strategy grounded in a human rights-based, poverty reduction lens—one that addresses the root causes of food insecurity and ensures everyone can afford the basics.
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