Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Today I'd like to focus on the need for involvement and full participation of first nations in the development and implementation of the Nutrition North program, which was announced in May of this year. This includes having the proper mechanisms and tools to ensure that the proper execution of the program is done, and it also includes accountability and transparency. The AFN is pleased, as part of this implementation, to see Health Canada taking a more prominent role in the Nutrition North program than they previously had in the food mail program, particularly given the health implications of access to nutritious foods. Some of those I'll just review briefly.
Over half, 55.2%, of first nations children on reserve are either overweight, 22.3%, or obese, 36.2%. First nations children between the ages of three and five are more likely than not to be obese. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 10% of youth onset diabetes in North America. It's an emerging problem in first nations children and youth, and there's a significant number of first nations children and youth cases reported in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and northwestern Ontario. First nations people are four times more likely to experience type 2 diabetes than non-aboriginal Canadians. The actual rate of diabetes among first nations is 20%, which means one in five first nations people are diabetic.
The incidence of cancer is rising faster in first nations communities than in the general Canadian population. It is now the leading cause of death in some first nations communities. A poor diet and obesity are two of the greatest risk factors contributing to this emerging crisis.
Community-based nutrition initiatives, therefore, will be a vital component to promote the consumption of both healthy market foods and traditional foods. This is particularly important as many first nations do not have access to dieticians or nutritionists, and it's important that capacity-building be built into Health Canada's funding agreements in support of community programs. By way of context, the new Nutrition North Canada study impacts 27 first nations communities across northern Canada that are on the eligibility list, and 17 first nations communities that are on the nominal subsidy list. These communities are in the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces.
To date, there's been little communication with first nations citizens and communities at the grassroots level--in other words, those who will be impacted directly by the program. In fact, the AFN has heard from a number of first nations communities that they're not aware of the new program, its details, or how it will affect their communities. It's the understanding that preliminary communications have focused on retailers and wholesalers to ensure they are ready for the new program to come into effect.
Additionally, from our review of the details, our general view is that these are sufficiently vague and that we really need time to have feedback from communities in order to have informed input into the process. Two examples are that the eligibility criteria are unclear for both the communities and for the subsidized foods. Also, without regulations for the price of food, it may be difficult to enforce the subsidy at the point of sale and to ensure that this subsidy is being passed on to the consumer. We also need to ensure that communities not currently eligible because of lack of participation in their previous food mail program can be eligible in the future and may be able to apply for the subsidy.
There are also some transition mechanisms that need to be looked at. For example, withdrawing a subsidy for non-perishable foods and non-food items means that retailers need to order stock well in advance, which presents other challenges. Other communities, even if they're able to do so, don't have the ability to store stock, which may drive up costs due to the need to have additional storage space rented. There's also concern, given the timing of this, that barge and ferry services will not be available as those generally are not available in about one month.
In conclusion, by including first nations in the development of a nutrition program, we feel we can address these issues before additional challenges or problems emerge, and first nations and the AFN are keen to engage in those discussions and to work out those important elements.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.