MPs hungry for action to examine Nutrition North program

Idlout, Bérubé weigh in after federal minister announces review will start in 2025

Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout, left, and Bloc Québécois MP Sylvie Bérubé who represents Nunavik, say they recognize need for an arm’s length review of Nutrition North . (Photos by Arty Sarkisian and Jeff Pelletier)

By Daron Letts

Two MPs whose constituents buy groceries subsidized by Nutrition North Canada say they support carrying out a review of the controversial program.

In Iqaluit Friday, federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal announced he will appoint a ministerial special representative next year to lead an external review.

A final report with recommendations on how to improve the program is expected sometime in 2026.

Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout said Friday that her constituents don’t need to wait for the findings to be convinced the program is broken.

“It’s been well known for years that the prices of groceries are too high in the Arctic and that Nutrition North is not working,” she told Nunatsiaq News.

“While they are doing their investigations, it will be my constituents that are suffering the costs of high grocery prices.”

Idlout criticized the federal government for waiting until 2025 to appoint an arm’s length special representative with a final report not expected until the year after that.

“I do like the idea of a special representative being hired that’s independent from government. I just hope that position is hired much sooner than what the plan is,” said Idlout.

“I’m frustrated that they are taking a delayed approach to addressing such an important issue as alleviating poverty. It is definitely a major issue impacting the mental health of Nunavummiut.”

Nutrition North was started in 2011 as a subsidy to help reduce the cost of nutritious food and some essential items for people living in remote, mostly northern communities. It’s a joint initiative between Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and Health Canada.

Critics, though, have questioned whether customers in those areas are getting the full benefit of the funding the government puts into the program.

A University of Toronto study published last year in the Journal of Public Economics concluded only 67 cents of each dollar invested in Nutrition North is reflected in lower prices at northern grocery retailers.

Idlout suggested one reform that could be carried out immediately would be to open a line where complaints could be sent to the government, rather than allowing grocery chains to self-regulate and respond to customer complaints.

“I definitely feel the urgency of addressing [high Northern food prices],” she said.

“What I will do is to try to see if we can get improvements much faster than what the government’s delayed response is.”

Bloc Québécois MP Sylvie Bérubé, who represents Nunavik, said she’s optimistic the review will reveal ways to improve Nutrition North.

“It is good news that [Nutrition North Canada] is being revised to improve food safety and prevent loss of food transported over long distances,” she said, adding she’s glad national and regional Indigenous organizations will be consulted.

“Ultimately, this program must be as effective as possible in reducing the cost of food for people in isolated communities.”

 

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(17) Comments:

  1. Posted by Mit on

    Lori we the people want subsidize pop chips slush hungry man dinner and smokes 🤣🤣

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      • Posted by Bad Dad Simeonie on

        remove the crazy tax on smoke, junk food and pop and since your at it, Kill the Carbon Tax

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    • Posted by Judas Henry on

      And Free Gift cards for life from KFC and Tim Hortons.
      (Since we don’t know how to cook)

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  2. Posted by S on

    LOLOLOL, yes, yes ‘hungry for action’, Lori:

    “Idlout suggested one reform that could be carried out immediately would be to open a line where complaints could be sent to the government,”

    Hasn’t Lori received all of those complaints? Maybe she’d be kind enough to provide the material and relevant ones to us.

    “A federal NDP call to reform the Nutrition North program and force big grocery chains and suppliers to lower prices on essential food was defeated this summer … At the time of the vote, the program was under internal review “

    Doesn’t Vandal have that report that I funded with my tax dollars? Maybe he’d be kind enough to provide the material and relevant facts from that ‘study’.

    I’d like to get ALL of the information that Lori and Dan have collected so I can assess them and make recommendations for necessary changes to the Nutrition North program.

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  3. Posted by Nujalia stoney on

    Stop putting money in CEO and managers pockets!

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  4. Posted by Igunaaqi on

    I guess election is coming, time to pretend to take action.

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  5. Posted by Daaniallie Niviaxie on

    They’ll see too expensive to have nutritional in the North?

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  6. Posted by Hungry man on

    I would love to sit MP Idlout down and ask her what she knows about fixed expenses tech as power insurance wages etc and how much of every dolllar and item costs actually turns into profit. Hint it’s about 3 cents of every dollar. I love that non business people who have no idea of the actual costs are the ones complaining. Do I think prices are to high. Definitely in some cases but at least educate yourself before complaining

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  7. Posted by Truth teller on

    Audit will be done by ex govt officials called consultants who will be linked to nwc shareholders, mark my words.

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  8. Posted by Tooma on

    Food security is real. Unlike long time stores, northern coop, when buying foods from family businesses, it’s disgusting, stomach just makes noises, only eat traditional foods I guess mixed with small veggies. And water.

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  9. Posted by I live in Nunavik on

    Hopefully they will check cargo suppliers too if they are delivering regularly, I think we did not get cargo delivery 2-3 times for a good 2 weeks this summer alone. And when they do, they came in spoiled, rotten and good for straight to garbage.

  10. Posted by Lucretius on

    Only 67 cents out of every dollar spent on Nutrition North gets spent on lowering food prices you say?

    According to the Library of Parliament, as of 2020, total transfer payments including grants and contributions totaled around 68-70% of total federal spending.

    It seems Nutrition North is 1-3% less efficient and effective than the rest of the Government of Canada, so I am not sure how newsworthy this is.

  11. Posted by Lucretius on

    Statistics Canada reports Food input cost trends as follows:

    Farmers have seen significant deflation in costs of animal feed, fertilizers, and fuel. Our higher prices are not coming from there.

    The food processing and packaging industry has seen significant deflation in costs for crops and plastics, and slight increases in animal products and cardboard. Our higher prices are not coming from there.

    For the food transportation, wholesale and retail sector, they have seen slight declines in fuel costs, and wholesale food markups. The largest increase in this sector is retail sales markups. That is where the higher food costs are coming from.

    It seems a food retailer has zero need to be cozy with any government officials to gouge customers.

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    • Posted by Tofino Justin on

      There’s more to it than that. We import a lot of our food from the U.S., so a weak dollar caused by rate cuts that our government loves talking about, raises the cost of food. There’s inflation caused by over spending and printing money. Sure, maybe inflation is down this quarter, but there is a cumulative affect still at play. There’s the war in Ukraine which has driven up the cost of fertilizer that farmers use. To heap all of the price increases on the retailers is disingenuous at best, and certainly not true.

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