Getting Civil About Food: The Interactions Between Civil Society and the State to Advance Sustainable Food Systems in Canada

Abstract

ABSTRACT Canada has a long history of civil society involvement in food activism. While neo-liberal developments and deregulation since the 1970s were global in scope, Canada's political response was distinct due to its unique geography, social history, and system of governance. The first significant civil society collaboration to address food system inequities was the Peoples' Food Commission in 1978. The second wave of activism was precipitated by the need for civil society participation in the World Food Summits in 1996 and 2002 and led to the formation of Food Secure Canada-Sécurité Alimentaire Canada (FSC-SAC) in 2005. The current challenge for FSC-SAC is how to make an impact within the increasingly reregulated policy decision system. Several opportunities for civil society-state interaction are offered, including possibilities for new types of regulatory action toward greater food system sustainability.