Nutrition North subsidy coming to a grocery receipt near you

Receipts such as this, posted on the Feeding my Family Facebook site, will soon include subsidy information on individual items, if a promise from Ottawa June 4 comes to pass. (FEEDING MY FAMILY FACEBOOK)

At the very same time Members of Parliament were debating an New Democratic Party proposal they say will improve the federal Nutrition North Canada June 4, the minister responsible for the freight subsidy issued a statement he says makes the program more accountable.

Bernard Valcourt, minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, said in a news release June 4 that, based on a recommendation from the Nutrition North Canada Advisory Board, he will direct retailers who receive the subsidy to include itemized subsidy information on grocery receipts.

That means on items that are subsidized under the program, customers should be able to see a breakdown of costs on their bill which shows the price of each item before the subsidy, the amount of the subsidy applied, and the final cost to the consumer.

This was one of the recommendations raised during an NNC Advisory Board public meeting in Iqaluit March 26.

“This new system will ensure that customers see how and when the NNC subsidy is applied to their grocery bill,” Valcourt said in the June 4 release.

“This means that consumers will be able to clearly see the amount of the subsidy passed on to them, ensuring greater retailer transparency and accountability.”

He added that “in the coming weeks,” he will consider the board’s recommendations to, “determine the best approach that will benefit all northerners.”

It’s unclear when the point-of-sale directive will take effect.

As of the beginning of March this year, the Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec has already implemented point-of-sale subsidy information in its 14 Nunavik stores, AANDC deputy minister Stephen Van Dine said at the March meeting in Iqaluit.

Meanwhile, MPs are currently debating a proposal put forward by the NDP that the party says will improve the program.

The proposal includes adding more communities to the list of remote hamlets and towns eligible for the subsidy and overhauling the system with full input from northerners.

During the debate, one MP even suggested that the subsidy be given directly to consumers to spend as they see fit rather than give it to retailers to manage.