Question Period Note: Nutrition North Canada

• Nutrition North Canada supports food security in northern isolated communities by improving access and affordability to market, country and local food.

• Funding for its retail subsidy program and the Harvesters Support Grant have been increased, and a new Community Food Programs Fund and a Food Security Research Grant have been co-developed with Indigenous and northern partners.

• Launched in 2020-21, the Harvesters Support Grant is increasing access to country foods by providing funding to support traditional hunting, harvesting and food sharing in 109 isolated northern communities.

• In March 2023, the government announced that grant agreements with 24 regional Indigenous governments and organizations will distribute over $120 million for traditional hunting, harvesting, and community food sharing activities.

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If pressed on Food Security in the North

• In Canada’s North, food prices can be significantly higher than in the rest of the country. Isolation and socioeconomic issues make northerners particularly vulnerable to food security challenges.

• Northern Affairs is continuing to work closely with Indigenous and northern partners to identify shared, northern-based solutions for improving food security.
• Announced in August 2022, the current investment of over $120 million includes $36 million in Harvesters Support Grant (HSG) funding and $60.9 in Community Food Programs Fund (CFPF).
• While Nutrition North Canada will not solve food security on its own, it is helping northern and isolated communities advance made-in-the-North solutions.

• A long-term strategy will require a whole-of-government approach that recognizes and addresses the key factors of income and employment.