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 to better support food security priorities in NNC communities.
• 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 its first year alone, the Harvesters Support Grant supported over 5,500 harvesters, over 150 hunts, and over 120 food sharing initiatives.

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If pressed on Food Security in the North
• In Canada’s North, food prices can be significantly higher than what the rest of the country pays. Factors such as isolation and socioeconomic issues make northerners particularly vulnerable to food security challenges.
• Northern Affairs is continuing to work closely with Indigenous and northern partners and other government departments to identify shared, northern-based solutions for improving food security.
• 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.