Statement made on 16 February 2011 by Senator Nick Sibbeston
Hon. Nick G. Sibbeston:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate and deals with food prices in the Arctic. The major focus of this government has been Arctic sovereignty. Critical to this sovereignty is the ability of Northern people to live and thrive in their communities.
Honourable senators, a recent story in The Globe and Mail pointed out the tremendous food prices in the communities of Arctic Bay and Nunavut. Prices have always been high, but seem to have spiked recently. Prices are also high in remote communities in the Northwest Territories. For example, one litre of milk in Ulukhaktok on Holman Island today costs $4.35, compared to just over $1 in Ottawa. Three pounds of apples cost $10.84, compared to $2.97 in Ottawa.
Honourable senators, until October 1, 2010, the Food Mail Program subsidized the cost of freight for a wide range of food items and hygiene products. A new program, Nutrition North Canada, subsidizing a shorter list of healthy foods, will come into effect on April 1, 2011. The six-month gap between the programs may have contributed to the spike in food prices.
Can the Leader of the Government provide information on the extent of food inflation in remote communities in the last six months, and tell this chamber how much prices are expected to fall when the new program comes into effect?
Can the Leader of the Government tell honourable senators how much the government is spending on the Nutrition North Canada program compared to the previous Food Mail Program?
Will the leader provide a list of food and hygiene items that were subsidized under the old program that will no longer be covered under the new program?
Can the leader tell me whether the "healthy food" list was compiled in consultation with Northerners or if it was compiled by Ottawa bureaucrats?
Honourable senators, I appreciate that the leader might not have all of the answers today, but she might, in due time, provide me with this information.
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