December 12, 2023
SHARE
The Backbench
#79 The Food Bank Industrial Complex
We’re bringing you a special episode from the Canadaland feed.  
Jesse Brown
Host & Publisher
Cherise Seucharan
Reporter, CANADALAND
Tristan Capacchione
Audio Editor & Technical Producer
Aviva Lessard
Producer
Noor Azrieh
Producer
Caleb Thompson
Audio Editor
Karyn Pugliese
Editor-in-Chief

It’s the holidays, and on your TV or radio you’re inevitably hit with ads telling you that this is the season of giving – it’s time to donate to a food drive. Conservative politicians, Liberal politicians, banks, broadcasters, grocery stores: they all are united in this message. With the promotion of food banks from virtually every institution and elected official in the country, you might conclude that they are the best solution to food insecurity. Except – they’re not. Food bank use in Canada is at an all-time high, and experts, community organizers, even staff at food banks say that the growing need just shows how our government has failed to address poverty and hold corporations to account.

 

Host:  Mattea Roach

Credits: Jesse Brown (Host & Publisher), Cherise Seucharan (Reporter), Tristan Capacchione (Audio and Technical Producer), Aviva Lessard (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

 

Sponsors: oxio, Douglas 

 

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody. 

 

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

More from this series
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has freedom on the docket….
November 19, 2024
Last week, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese landed in Canada, setting off a firestorm of controversy…
November 12, 2024
It’s the 60th US Presidential election, and the stakes feel like they’ve never been higher…
November 5, 2024
Liberal MP’s have hopped on the #TrudeauHasGotToGo bandwagon…
October 29, 2024
Plots of murder, blackmail, spying—and a gang that somehow ties it all together…
October 22, 2024
What the hell is going on in B.C.’s election?
October 15, 2024
It feels like we’ve never been closer to another world war. If our NATO allies called us, could we answer?
October 8, 2024
While world leaders meet and Israel’s war on Gaza spreads, Canadian MPs are at odds over recognizing a Palestinian state.
October 1, 2024
all podcasts arrow All Podcasts
The Backbench