• Alberta sees sharpest increase in food bank use
• Report cites inflation and job losses as key factors

LETHBRIDGE, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to scrap carbon taxes, stop inflationary spending and to unlock Alberta’s natural resources in the wake of shocking food bank numbers released Thursday.

“More Canadians are depending on food banks to feed their families this year and Albertans are topping the list,” said Kris Sims, Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “Albertans have less money to spend on groceries because they’re spending more on the carbon tax, transfer payments and inflation while their jobs are being blocked by Trudeau’s government in Ottawa.”

A report released by the group Food Banks Canada states that visits to food banks have skyrocketed by 35 per cent since 2019. Visits are up 15 per cent since last year and Alberta has seen the sharpest increase.

The report shows that as inflation and the cost of food went up, the visits to food banks also sharply increased.

Albertans were also more likely to say they had to use a food bank because they had lost their jobs. “The loss of income that would be experienced during extended periods of unemployment, combined with inflation, may have contributed to high levels of food insecurity and food bank usage,” reads the report.

The carbon tax is a net cost of $671 per household, even after rebates, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

“Albertans need help and governments can provide that help right now by making the tax burden a little lighter,” said Sims.

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