Nunavik MP Saganash slams Tory’s stance on food insecurity in the North

Romeo Saganash, the New Democratic Party MP for Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou, stopped into Newviq”vi in Kuujjuaq during the 2011 federal campaign to check out the price of foods in Nunavik. (FILE PHOTO)

Romeo Saganash, the New Democratic Party MP for Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou, says he’s alarmed at the exorbitant price of food in the North and wants the Conservative government to act on ending this “flagrant injustice.”

Like his NDP colleagues, Saganash said it’s unacceptable that a small bag of apples or a two-litre carton of milk can cost up to $15 in the North, while these same products can be purchased at a fraction that price elsewhere in the country.

The situation, which existed for some time, has deteriorated since the Tories replaced the former food mail program by the Nutrition North program, Saganash said in a June 14 news release.

“The Conservatives should admit their mistake and immediately begin seeking a solution acceptable to our communities,” Saganash said in the release. “It’s also unacceptable that the government shrugged off the criticism delivered on this issue by the United Nations special rapporteur for the right to food, especially since it has no concrete plan to address the problem.”

Jean Crowder, the NDP’s aboriginal affairs critic and MP for Nanaimo-Cowichan, who recently visited Nunavut, echoed those same concerns this afternoon in the House of Commons, Saganash noted.

“The reality is that our fellow citizens in the North have had enough and are starting to say that out loud,” Crowder said. “They no longer tolerate these outrageous prices and do not want to have to rely on a food bank for food. Will the Conservatives make their nutrition program more transparent and efficient once and for all?”