Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, folks, for coming to the INAN committee today to talk about nutrition north and food costs.
One of you mentioned that you are from Nunavut. I've been up there and saw first-hand some of the crazy food prices. It's insane. You mentioned some of the food prices yourself and what the subsidy is supposed to make more affordable, I guess, for people who live in the north, but for me, it's still a question about the lack of food security. At the end of the day, there's somebody in Nunavut or somebody in the territories who is left hungry because the job is simply not getting done.
This is from a recent article:
These high food prices, combined with limited economic opportunities and high rates of poverty, have led to Northern Canada having the highest rates of food insecurity in the country. Almost half of all Nunavut households are moderately or seriously food insecure.
It's incredible.
This is from another document, from the Nunavut Food Security Coalition: “Nearly 70% of Inuit homes in Nunavut are food insecure”. This means that 70% of Nunavut families are basically going hungry every day. Again, it's incredible. It states, “This rate is one of the highest rates for an indigenous population in a developed country” in the world.
I don't need to state it all over again, but I'm going to ask you a question about affordability. Gary, you mentioned that part of the cost being so expensive is fuel costs. With your airline, you provide the food. You get the food to the communities. We also have things called sealifts to get the food up there, etc.
I'm going to ask you this individually, Shelly, Dan and Gary: Has the carbon tax made food more affordable or more expensive in the north?