A damning report has been released by the United Nations slamming Canada for its poverty and hunger rates.

A special envoy has released a report following an 11-day tour. It finds there is a staggering amount of poverty and hunger in Canada and our government is violating its international obligations because of that.

The Harper government is scoffing at the report saying it’s politically motivated and Canada doesn’t need to be lectured by the United Nations.

“It would be our hope that the contributions we make to the United Nations are used to help starving people in developing countries not to give lectures to wealthy and developed countries,” Canada’s immigration minister Jason Kenney said, dismissing the recommendations.

Kenney also called the trip politically motivated and a waste of money.

There are between two and three-million people who are too poor to get the food they need each day.

The UN envoy calls this inequality unacceptable in a wealthy country and is calling for a national food strategy, as well as increases to the minimum wage and social assistance.

“Close to 900,000 people are depending on food banks,” the UN’S Olivier De Schutter said. “When they was launched in 1981, they were not seen as a long-term solution.”

He wants to see a national food strategy along with increases to minimum wage and social assistance.

De Schutter also blasted our obesity rates saying almost two-thirds of the population is overweight  or obese and it costs our health care system $5-billion a year.