Nunavut leaders address House of Commons about ongoing food crisis in territory

No children in Canada should have to experience that reality. But 8 in 10 Inuit children in Nunavut do live in food insecure homes, according to NTI President Gloria Uluxi. She was one of the Nunavut representatives who testified in front of MPs to demand action on what she called affordability crisis. In 2022, 44% of Nunavut youth lived below the official poverty line, a rate more than four times the national average. In 2024, almost 60% of Nunavut households reported being food insecure. Uluxi argues many issues contribute to these numbers. Insufficient income support, limited employment opportunities, and a chronic absence of housing supply. But the biggest reasons, she said, are the constantly growing food prices. That's a reality all too familiar to Iqaluit's Anna Papatsi. The 27-year-old lives with her mother and her 13-year-old sister, and Nunavut food prices cost them dearly. Me and my mom are hungry a lot, but it's okay. Well, it's not okay about the prices. Vice President of the Northwest Company, Michael Beaulieu, testified alongside Aluxi. He acknowledged the growing prices, blaming rising fuel costs and insufficient subsidies from Nutrition North, a federal program for groceries in Nunavut communities. He said the subsidy hasn't kept up with inflation and Nunavummiut are losing faith in it. That loss of trust hurts the program, it hurts government, and it hurts retailers like us in the eyes of our customers. But Aluxi argues creating food-secure communities is not just about nutrition programs. It's about creating really the conditions for healthy families. She says Ottawa needs to invest in northern housing and infrastructure to create a healthy tomorrow for Inuit. But today, Nunavummiut like Papatsi have to rely on discount foods and soup kitchens. I'm so thankful, though, that we have a food bank because it's so expensive to buy food. She says those services are the only thing standing between her family and daily hunger. Artie Sirkisian, CBC News, Iqaluit.