Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Dec. 10th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

We have quorum. Accordingly, I call meeting 12 of the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs to order.

We start with the acknowledgement that we're meeting on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin people.

The committee is continuing its study of food security in northern communities.

Once again, you should be on the language of your choice, in the globe at the bottom centre of your screen, so that interpretation can present you with the language in which you speak. Please speak slowly and clearly. You should be on mute if you are not speaking.

Joining us today is the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Natan Obed.

Mr. Obed, please go ahead for six minutes.

[Natan Obed, President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, everyone in this committee, for inviting me.

I am Natan Obed, and I am the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national representation organization for Canada's 65,000 Inuit.

The majority of Inuit live within Inuit Nunangat. This is our homeland. It encompasses 51 communities and covers almost one-third of Canada's land mass and over 50% of Canada's coastline. There are four Inuit regions across Inuit Nunangat: Inuvialuit in the west, Nunavut central and east, and then Nunavik and Nunatsiavut.

The last time this committee studied northern food security issues was 10 years ago, when it looked at the transition of the federal food mail program to nutrition north. Inuit put forward a lot of different testimony during that time, and much of it remains unchanged today.

The food insecurity status of Inuit communities still stands in stark contrast to the situation seen in the rest of Canada; 76% of Inuit aged 15 or over living in Inuit Nunangat experience food insecurity. This is based on Canada's 2017 aboriginal peoples survey. The regional breakdown varies slightly, but it still remains that over three-quarters of Inuit suffer from food insecurity.

There are many different concerns that are raised because of food insecurity. They are interrelated with poverty, with the ability to practise our culture and with the ability to pass on language. Food insecurity links into other issues, such as education. This committee has talked quite a bit to and has learned quite a bit from people representing Inuit, who talked about the inequities that Inuit face, compared to non-indigenous Canadians.

Poverty is the main driver of food insecurity in Inuit Nunangat. It's a complex issue, where the cost of living is so much higher than in the rest of Canada, while the incomes are so much lower. The median income for Inuit living in Inuit Nunangat is approximately $23,000, and the cost of living is between two and three times the Canadian average, depending upon the community in Inuit Nunangat.

The pandemic has further illustrated the socio-economic inequities and infrastructure gaps that our remote communities face. I shared these realities with the committee recently, but today I want to emphasize that these deficits have significant impacts on our food costs, as well as the potential of our harvesting economy, local food production initiatives, and both our inshore and offshore fisheries.

The pandemic has also highlighted the fragility in our own unique food supply chains. Most of our non-perishable food items are shipped through summer sealift resupply seasons. There are only a couple of hubs in this country from where those non-perishable food items start, and the largest by far is in Montreal. With shutdowns of economies, with concerns for the free flow of goods and services, this past season's resupply was very different and had some risk to it, which then had overarching risk for the way in which non-perishable items get to our communities.

We've been working through a number of our food insecurity policy areas within the Inuit-Crown partnership committee. There is a food security working group that led to some changes to the nutrition north program, specifically within the harvesters support grant, in which Inuit have accessed $28.6 million over five years to implement supports for traditional harvesting programs.

We need to apply the Inuit Nunangat approach across all federal departments to accelerate the work of this particular Inuit-Crown partnership committee working group. We need to understand how best to support Inuit, especially when it comes to improving social programs, improving access to healthy foods and also improving the ability for Inuit to practise traditional activities.

Infrastructure is key in all of this as well. We have such infrastructure deficits within Inuit Nunangat, whether it's within our airports, our small craft harbours, local food storage facilities, harvesting infrastructure or supply chain infrastructure. We need to improve all levels of our infrastructure in order to have more food-secure communities.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

We're at time, Mr. Obed, right there. Of course, if there is anything that doesn't get covered in the round of questioning, you can certainly submit further written testimony.

In view of the delay in starting, we'll have time for one full round of questioning of Mr. Obed from each of the parties represented in our committee, starting with Cathy McLeod for six minutes.

Mrs. McLeod, please go ahead.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Thank you, Chair.

Certainly, as we had hoped to get two, I might be sharing some of my time with our second speaker.

Mr. Obed, I know you were cut off a little bit. Were you heading toward some very specific recommendations? Certainly I'd like to hear specifically what you would like to see in terms of committee recommendations.

[Natan Obed]

Yes, thank you.

I have a couple of key recommendations. One is in regard to northern airlines and the qualification of northern airlines as an essential service, and making that terminology, “essential service”, have some terms and conditions associated with it.

Also, about the nutrition north program, we need to ensure that it acts as an accountable and transparent social program so that Inuit families in Inuit communities are the ones benefiting from the subsidy.

Another one is to make long-term sustainable investments in Inuit Nunangat: specific school food programs and other local food production and local food distribution initiatives.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Thank you.

You talked about how welcome the changes to the harvesters support program were. It was interesting; we heard testimony from the Yukon the other day that they have things like mobile abattoirs. Do you have any local challenges in terms of...territorial issues that create challenges in moving forward with the harvesting program?

[Natan Obed]

I think there are ongoing challenges from a regulatory perspective. When we are able to harvest more food and when we are able to provide for our families, that doesn't necessarily always extend to long-term support homes or educational institutions where there are regulations, whether they be federal, provincial or territorial, for food consumption and food safety, which often don't take into consideration any respect for Inuit-specific food preparation and considerations for food safety.

That has been a huge challenge for us in producing sustainable traditional food businesses, because we get into the regulatory issues right away, where the way in which we prepare our food isn't necessarily recognized by the institutional standards.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Thank you.

I've heard about that challenge before, and I would expect it's mostly a territorial issue.

I'll now turn my time over to my colleague Eric.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Thank you, Cathy. I appreciate that.

I'll pick up on the same topic of NNC, nutrition north Canada.

Mr. Obed, you mentioned that the program has to act more like a social program and be more accountable and transparent. In some of the testimony that we heard at our last meeting, the department officials actually said that food security itself wasn't really a measure of success for that program, so I do agree with you and I think there definitely have to be some changes made in that respect.

I'm curious as to whether you can expand a bit more on how you think this program might be able to be changed to be more accountable and more transparent to people living in the north.

[Natan Obed]

I'll start by saying that the nutrition north program and its predecessor, the food mail program, are both welcome subsidy programs for Inuit Nunangat and other parts of Canada's north, which are more expensive to operate in.

Non-perishable food items cost more, in large part because of the transportation and all the other infrastructure and costs of infrastructure, even within co-ops and northern stores within our communities. Those cost more to run, so it makes sense then that items might be more expensive.

However, if the Government of Canada is going to get into deciding what foods should be subsidized, and then subsidize those foods that reflect concerns with nutrition, healthy diets and healthy lifestyles of Canadians, then $70 million to $80 million will be spent by the federal government every year trying to provide a social program and in many cases deciding what foods should be eaten in Inuit Nunangat communities.

There should be more self-determination for Inuit within the portion of the subsidy that is for Inuit. Because of our food insecurity—it's at 76%—these funds should go to people who are food-insecure. There should be a tangible, positive influence of this subsidy for those individuals who are in need of food. A rebate at till that is just a short computation of numbers that are not in any way accountable or transparent will never allow for this program to be seen as successful.

Until we solve that, there will always be Inuit in communities who do not believe that the nutrition north program is actually addressing their food security needs.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thanks very much, Mr. Obed.

Mr. van Koeverden, you have six minutes. Please go ahead.

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Milton, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Nakurmiik, thanks, Mr. Obed for coming back. It's nice to see you again at committee.

Thank you for your statement and your witness testimony, but also thank you for the Inuit-specific food policy. I haven't read the entire thing yet, but it's been good to go through it. It's a lot to read but it's also really important, I think, that everybody on the committee read it.

Earlier this week, we heard from other northern officials who talked about their struggles, so it's wonderful to hear from you and to hear specific concerns about people living in Inuit Nunangat. The numbers, I think, need to be highlighted. As you said, three out of four Inuit have food insecurity, which is a remarkable number. I think it bears repeating, and I think we should dwell on that.

I had a good discussion recently with somebody who's working on food security across Canada, and his remarks were that the solution to hunger in Canada isn't actually food. In its specific food policy, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami talks a lot about income and housing as leading causes of food insecurity.

In your previous visits to this committee, you've talked about the difference between subsidies and social programs. I was wondering if you could connect the dots a little bit for the committee today by discussing the differences between subsidies and social programs, and the important connection between income and the high cost of housing as it relates to people and hunger in the north, specifically in Inuit Nunangat. Nakurmiik.

[Natan Obed]

Yes. I'll start by giving an example.

Our median income, Inuit median income in Inuit Nunangat, is $23,000. For non-Inuit living in Inuit Nunangat, that number is in excess of $95,000. There's huge disparity between Inuit and non-Inuit within every one of our communities, yet the nutrition north program is need-blind, so the family that has a median income that is three to four times that of another family is going to the store and getting the same subsidy for the same items.

On a universal approach for a food insecurity challenge, I don't believe that if we're going to spend money we should be spending money on anyone but those most in need. I know there are challenges for everybody who lives in Inuit Nunangat, no matter the median income, because of the high cost of living, the high cost of housing and the high cost of food, but we design social programs in all other parts of the country that are designed to ensure there is a foundation for all Canadians, whether that's social assistance or specific programs for people with disabilities or with certain eligibilities for certain portions of the population so that there is a base level standard of living that all Canadians can enjoy.

Right now, the nutrition north program would be an excellent program to ensure that there is a base level of food security for Inuit in Inuit Nunangat. You're already spending the money. We need it to be a targeted social program that Inuit can benefit from directly. There can be a clear call and response for the need and then a policy intervention. Right now, it is just a universal benefit, much like it is in the CRA world for the northern residents deduction. It's something that everybody gets and that everybody gets equally.

We need something more targeted. Whether that is an addition to the nutrition north program or a rethinking of the nutrition north program, this issue is too important and the measure of disparity is so severe that it demands action.

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Milton, ON]

Thank you for that.

You used the term “need-blind”, which I think is really important. How would a change in the nutrition north program impact other people, the other quarter? How would it have an impact on the people who are living and working in the north? Would it terribly inflate the cost of food and living for people who are earning a good income? Would it make it...? As you said, there are burdens on everybody who lives in Inuit Nunangat, not just Inuit. How do we get around that?

[Natan Obed]

I think the key consideration in the change from the food mail program to nutrition north was to let the markets decide pricing. Competition was meant to replace the single Canada Post subsidy for freight.

Our communities are quite small. There usually are only two or three retailers selling food in a community, and even sometimes only one. Nutrition north changed that landscape quite significantly. I can't tell you.... I don't necessarily believe in the rebate at till numbers, so I'm not sure if that two litres of milk really would be $14 if there wasn't a food mail subsidy attached to it.

I'd love to be able to talk more and to understand more about what negative effects there might be for those who might not be eligible for a particular specified subsidy for those who are food-insecure, but really, we don't have the accountability or transparency to understand what those costs are at this moment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thanks, Mr. Obed.

We go now to Madame Bérubé for six minutes.

Please go ahead.

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Obed, you talked about the food insecurity and malnutrition that disproportionately affects Inuit communities. You also said that from a socio-economic perspective, the pandemic is having an impact on costs and the fishery.

Can you tell me about the causes and consequences of food insecurity in the regions of Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut? Actually, there's a small difference in these regions when it comes to food security.

[Natan Obed]

Yes, thank you.

The cost of pursuing traditional livelihoods and providing food for our families in a very traditional way is expensive. We use Ski-Doos. We use boats in the summer. There are tremendous costs for gas and other supplies to hunt.

In the COVID response, especially the first response in the spring when there was initial money for the indigenous community support fund, many of our Inuit land claim regions provided support for people to go on the land: to go harvest, to go spend the spring and summer in seasonal camps and to get out of communities to decrease the risk of contracting COVID. It also allowed for an increased level of reliance on our traditional diet and increased our food security, if you will.

It's been a big challenge for many Inuit to be able to access their traditional homelands, to harvest in our lands and then to provide for our families and our communities in a more traditional way, because of the costs associated with it. Then also there is the lack of income that many Inuit have to be able to support that type of lifestyle.

It is an interesting dilemma, but it's one that has its roots in colonization and the disenfranchisement and disempowerment of Inuit through the killing of dogs and dog teams, the coerced relocation into communities and the push for a wage-based economy. There have been 50 or 60 years of a push for Inuit not to rely on our own society and our own food, and we're only now trying to get that back. Subsidies are necessary. Grant programs are necessary to help us do that in this space.

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

You talked earlier about partnerships. Can you explain to us what approaches you've taken to create partnerships to help Inuit communities?

[Natan Obed]

At the ITK level, we have partnerships with our regional land claim organizations: Nunavut Tunngavik, Makivik Corporation, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the Nunatsiavut government. We work together to create our national policies and our national priorities. We actually are in the final stages of creating a national food security strategy, which hopefully we will release in the first quarter of 2021.

We also have partnerships at the community level. Sometimes these are with community-based organizations, sometimes with hunter and trapper organizations, sometimes with hamlets and different municipalities, to ensure that.... Sometimes it's for storage space. Sometimes it's for running programs. Sometimes it's for food distribution. We also work with provincial and territorial governments on food security strategies and on poverty reduction.

You'll hear more about that, I believe, in the second hour from regional leaders. No matter what, we are trying to work with whoever is willing to ensure that we can do more for food security for Inuit Nunangat.

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

When talking about Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the issue of food security needs to be addressed with a holistic approach. Could you explain what a holistic approach to food security would entail?

[Natan Obed]

Food security is tied so much to education, to housing and to health. It also ties into culture and to knowledge, and passing knowledge from generation to generation.

With over 50% overcrowding in our homes, combined with the poverty levels and food insecurity levels that we have, it's a challenge for Inuit to move beyond those scenarios.

Food insecurity at a household level is so complicated, because you might have 11 or 12 people living in one household, and it's a challenging environment, not only to sleep and to remain healthy, but also just to be able to prepare food, to share food and to provide food for an entire family.

There are a lot of challenges and consequences of those scenarios that lead to unhealthy food choices or food insecurity for certain members of a large family.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thanks, Mr. Obed.

We will go on to our final questioner.

You have six minutes, Ms. Blaney. Please go ahead.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Obed, for your testimony today. It was very important and helpful.

First, you talked about infrastructure and the infrastructure specifically related to food security. Is there any sort of gap analysis of what that is? How could the committee better understand what those gaps are and what is required to begin to fill them?

[Natan Obed]

ITK recently released a report that we partnered with Deloitte on. It's in regard to our infrastructure needs and also to specific priority projects for infrastructure across Inuit Nunangat. It isn't specifically in relation to food security, but a number of the challenges that we face are holistic. The challenge in the lack of marine infrastructure links completely with our ability to go and harvest locally, or with food distribution networks.

Think about sealift. In most communities without docks, it complicates the resupply immeasurably. You have to then offload to a barge; you have to go into tidal areas, and then there has to be heavy equipment that offloads the barge and then takes that to another place before a person can access the resupply. Think of the costs that this particular lack of infrastructure causes, on top of the costs that already exist because of the remoteness of Inuit communities.

Also, in the winter—and even in the summer—not having any temperature-stable refrigeration at any or most of our airports causes many of our non-perishable food items to be at risk of either freezing or becoming contaminated in a matter of minutes, especially for freezing. If that cargo sits outside at -40°C for 30 minutes, all of that money in nutrition north—that subsidy to get food to a community—is wasted.

Those are the types of challenges that we have with the lack of infrastructure.