Canadians are resorting to desperate measures as they struggle to deal with the rising cost of food and inflation.
According to a Nanos Research survey commissioned by CTV News, nearly 60% of Canadians said they switched to less expensive brands in the last month to cope with the situation.
Another 25% said they were stockpiling food, while 17% resorted to cutting out meals altogether because groceries were too expensive.
The survey found that young Canadians were the most impacted with over 70% of people between the age of 18 and 34 saying they are purchasing cheaper food items.
Nanos polled 1,000 Canadians between Oct. 30 and Nov. 4 on their food spending habits.
On Wednesday, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre blamed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the situation during a press conference in a British Columbia grocery store.
“iIt feels like everything is broken in this country right now,” said Poilievre while blasting the government’s “inflationary deficits and taxes.”
“It’s time for us to take back control of our lives in this country, to fix what is broken, and that’s what a Poilievre government would do.”
As exclusively reported by True North, an Ottawa Public Health study found that low income households in the nation’s capital were left in the red after paying for rent and buying groceries.
“The results of the (Nutritious Food Basket) survey consistently show that individuals and families living on fixed or low incomes do not have enough funds remaining at the end of the month to afford their bills while also putting healthy food on the table,” wrote analysts.
“Families often choose between paying for fixed expenses (such as rent and utilities), other necessities (such as clothing, childcare, medication, transportation, and dental care) and buying groceries.”
Families of four on the Ontario Works benefits were left in the negative after paying an average rent of $1,881 and affording necessities.
