ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A Nunavut MP is urging people in northern Labrador to complain directly to the federal government about food prices that have been described as inhumane.
NDP member Lori Idlout says a federal subsidy program to reduce food prices in remote Indigenous communities is not meeting its goal, and she says people should complain about it to Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal.
Nain, N.L., recorded a 62 per cent increase in the cost of healthy food between 2011, when the Nutrition North subsidy program was introduced, and 2021 — the highest increase reported among communities that qualify for the subsidies.
Pictures on social media show the local Northern Store charging $7.97 for cabbage and $21.49 for a 1.42-litre bottle of Crisco cooking oil — prices Nain resident Rosie Harris has described as "inhumane."
Lynn Blackwood, food security programs manager with the Inuit Nunatsiavut Government in northern Labrador, says the program is "obviously" not working, particularly for Nain.
She says though the federal government is reviewing the program, a subsidy adjustment is needed now to bring down food prices.
A statement from the Department of Northern Affairs says the rise in food costs across the country and a 30 per cent increase in fuel and transportation costs helped drive food prices higher in northern Labrador.
The statement says officials reviewing the Nutrition North program are set to visit Nain and Rigolet, N.L., early next year to speak with elders and community members about the cost of food.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
The Canadian Press
