Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on May 8th, 2024

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Thank you.

We'll now move to the Conservative side.

Mr. Melillo, you're going to take the five-minute questions, so the floor is yours.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister.

Minister, what is the mandate of nutrition north?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

The mandate of nutrition north is to support food security in isolated communities, in northern communities, and to make sure that the people living there have nutritious and affordable food, country food, local food and market food.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Thank you, Minister. I think that was a very simple question, and I appreciate the answer.

Do you feel, Minister, that, under your watch, nutrition north Canada has been successful in fulfilling its mandate?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

I think nutrition north has made some good progress in certain areas. I'll cite the harvesters support grant. There are questions outstanding on the retail subsidy, and I think there's always room for improvement.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

In short, no, it hasn't been successful, and I think that the information would show that.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

That's not my—

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

We see high rates of food insecurity each year. You increase the funding. You noted that funding for the program has more than doubled, but each year food insecurity continues to rise, Minister. You continue to throw more and more money at the issue, but it's getting worse. Is that not failure, in your opinion?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

I think there are issues in the north, which is why we're bringing forth a whole suite of programs, like $10-a-day day care, dental care and affordable housing, and that member and his whole team have continually voted against all the affordability measures we've brought forward.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

We're going to continue to vote against the disastrous economic policies of your government, Minister, which have driven up the cost of living and have made it very expensive for people across the north, not just in the territories, but also in the northern provinces as well. Minister, again, this is—

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

Canada has the strongest economic foundation—

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Thank you, Minister. I didn't ask you a question.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

—of all G7 countries in the world.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

I believe I still have the floor.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

I'll just stop the clock. You still have three minutes.

I'm going to ask the minister to provide a brief response. There was a comment—

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

I don't think I asked a question. I wasn't asking a question yet. If I can ask my question—

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

I've stopped the clock. I'll ask you to continue with your questions, and when the minister has the floor, he can respond.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Absolutely. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Minister, I appreciate your eagerness to respond to my question before it came.

I want to expand on this because, under your watch, this program is not working. It's very clear, and the evidence shows that. The cost of living is exorbitant in the north. This committee has previously submitted reports asking for the mandate of the nutrition north Canada program to be changed to include food insecurity as a direct part of the mandate.

Minister, it doesn't seem like you have really taken the issue seriously to address those concerns that we've raised in reports, dating back to 2021 and even before. You can comment.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

No, that's absolutely not true. I just explained, not five minutes ago, that nutrition north's mandate is to work with isolated and northern communities to make sure they get affordable and nutritious food, country food and other types of food, and to make sure that consumers, the people in the north, have access to that food. That is addressing food insecurity.

I think there have been some good developments, but there's lots of work to do. The last thing we need is a government that—

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

I appreciate that. There is certainly lots of work to do, Minister.

I believe it's been answered. May I ask my next question?

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

I've stopped the time.

He had a concluding thought there. If you don't want to hear it, then we'll go back to your questions.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

I'm good to continue with my next question, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Again, I'm sure you can appreciate that we have limited time.

Twenty-eight first nations in Ontario, including 22 in the Kenora district, which I represent, utilize nutrition north. They're also subject to the carbon tax. Minister, I know that you don't want to talk about the carbon tax at this meeting—

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

I just did talk about it at length.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

—but it's important to note that this is impacting the first nations across northern Ontario.

One hundred and thirty-three first nations, through the Chiefs of Ontario, have actually sued your government, arguing that the carbon tax is discriminatory and breaches the principles of reconciliation, leaving their communities worse off.

What is it going to take? Why doesn't your government just simply axe the tax to make life more affordable for first nations in northern Ontario and for people right across the country?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

It's been demonstrated time and again by economists and other people working in the industry that the price on pollution has minimal effects on food inflation. Why the Conservative Party has this fetish on carbon tax time and again is something that I certainly can't explain. Only they can explain. They continually vote against every single measure we bring forward to enhance affordability for middle-class families. That's something that's simply irrational.