Latest news with #NutritionNorth
National Observer
21-05-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Will we miss the big picture on Canada's food crisis?
With one in four Canadians living in food-insecure households, and grocery costs having ballooned almost 25 per cent since 2020, Canada is in a food crisis — which will get worse as we face potential trade wars and a recession. These issues demand urgent, concerted action from multiple levels of government. How will the winning Liberal Party rise to the challenge? By analyzing their Canada Strong platform, we can assess which critical food policies the new government is likely to advance — and where food movements will need to apply pressure to secure the transformative changes we urgently need. The good news Let's start with the good news. The Liberal platform commits to protecting Canada's system of supply management of dairy, eggs, and poultry. We should push the Liberals to expand it to other products, like legumes and grains. This would strengthen Canada's food sovereignty and give us more leverage against Trump's aggressive tariffs. The platform also promised to make the National School Food Plan permanent. This is great news, and we need to push for this to be universal and culturally appropriate. The platform also states that, where possible, schools should source Canadian food. This is very promising. School food can be a key lever for strengthening Canada's food systems and making them more resilient, by guaranteeing local farmers a stable source of income. In fact, all government contracts should have a mandated minimum of local procurement: from hospitals to prisons and military cafeterias. This innovative policy would be a huge step in building food sovereignty in Canada. We also see a promise to 'replace Nutrition North'— the government's flagship policy for food security in the North. This suggests an acknowledgment that Nutrition North has failed. In recent years, a supermarket monopoly in northern communities increased its profit margins, while benefiting from Nutrition North subsidies. Instead of propping up a monopoly, they should support Indigenous food methods, like hunting and foraging, and foster retail competition by starting a public grocery store in the territories or supporting cooperative stores. The cost of living crisis Let's move to the most immediate problem facing Canadians: the cost-of-living crisis. The Liberals offer a few boosts and reforms to current benefit programs. But these do little to address the big issue that 60 per cent of food-insecure households have a steady source of income. Incomes are simply too low, and income supports need to be radically re-thought and expanded, not just maintained or incrementally increased. What's more, 40 per cent of Black and Indigenous households experience food insecurity, almost double the national rate. This needs to be treated as a national emergency. The government will have to act fast to address this cost-of-living crisis, shaped by structural racism, that is only going to get worse in a recession. All government contracts should have a mandated minimum of local procurement: from hospitals to prisons and military cafeterias, writes Aaron Vansintjan And remember when Canadians mobilized to boycott Loblaws? Corporate price-gouging and food unaffordability dominated headlines last year and united people across the political spectrum. However, there is little in the platform that promises to address this. Let's say it clearly: the Canadian food retail industry is controlled by an oligopoly. Just five companies control 80 per cent of the retail market. This has led to unfair, anti-competitive and anti-consumer practices. The Liberal Party needs to show it is serious about tackling the problem. First, must strengthen the Competition Bureau to crack down on price-gouging and market domination by a few firms. Second, it should invest in local food infrastructure. We need more support for holistic approaches, such as agroecological, local food hubs, public markets, cooperatives, non-profit grocery stores, small- and medium-sized businesses. The Liberals already acknowledge that, when it comes to housing affordability, the market alone can't fix a market failure. The same lessons need to be applied to food affordability. This is a tremendous opportunity to link the urgent need to protect Canadian producers against trade disruption, with the need to build food sovereignty and lower the cost of living. A broken agriculture system The Liberal platform makes some promises to farmers, but doesn't do nearly enough to grapple with the overwhelming need in the sector. Farmers are being hit by climate change, debt, generational poverty, and sky-high agricultural rents. The current proposals amount to small change for a sector in crisis. There is a way out. Rather than penalizing farmers with an industrial carbon tax or forcing them into debt, the government should support them with training, infrastructure and buffers against risk. For example, the National Farmers Union calls for a Canadian Farm Resilience Agency that trains farmers in low-emission practices. Other policies, such as breaking apart predatory monopolies, expanding rail networks, the right to repair, and support for young, low-income, and minority farmers would go a long way. Notably absent from the platform is any mention of fixing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, a bedrock of Canadian agricultural labour and rife with abuse. This program is so broken that the UN Special Rapporteur on Modern Slavery called it a 'breeding ground for contemporary slavery' in 2023. It needs serious reform to eliminate exploitation, offer clear paths to citizenship for temporary workers, and improve income and labour conditions on farms. Conclusion: missing the whole The Liberal platform contains promising commitments to supply management, school food, and reforming Nutrition North. But there is not a clear, big picture and little acknowledgment that the food system needs an overhaul. It misses the immense potential to make Canada stronger: against trade wars, climate change and poverty. This would need to cross departmental boundaries. For example, weak local food infrastructure, poor retail competition, a cost-of-living crisis, and a broken temporary worker program are interconnected and multi-sector problems. We need a coordinated, cabinet-level approach to create policy coherence and a cohesive national food strategy. Without a whole-of-government approach, even the positive elements of the platform amount to minor tweaks, missing the potential for system change. The Buy Canadian movement has shown that the public gets it: people want more widely available, local food and do not trust oligopolies to deliver it. People also need higher incomes to be able to afford healthy and culturally-appropriate diets. Right now, the Liberal platform does not meet the public's desire for change. At this moment of global instability, food insecurity and price inflation, we need the Liberals to deliver — our future depends on it.
CBC
09-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Food security in the spotlight this week in the Sahtu
Residents of the Sahtu region in the Northwest Territories are sharing their perspectives on food security this week. The region's MLA is touring each community with Nutrition North and Food Banks Canada. Liny Lamberink is there to tell us more.
CBC
06-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
N.W.T. MLA touring Sahtu this week with Food Banks Canada and Nutrition North
Officials with Food Banks Canada and Nutrition North are in the N.W.T.'s Sahtu communities this week. The region's MLA is hosting a tour of each community to talk about the growing need for food banks and what needs to be done to set them up. Liny Lamberink reports.
Winnipeg Free Press
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Indigenous leaders hopeful for Carney-led government on economy, reconciliation
OTTAWA – Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed says he doesn't expect Prime Minister Mark Carney to get everything right immediately as he learns about and crafts policies for Indigenous Peoples, but it's clear he's willing to learn. And the leaders of the three national Indigenous organizations say that while former prime minister Justin Trudeau — who helped bring forward a national conservation on reconciliation when elected in 2015 — is no longer at the helm of the party, Carney won't stray too far from the priorities his government worked on, even if there's an increased focus on the economy. Obed said Carney's plan shows a commitment to continuing with reconciliation, and an understanding of the important role Indigenous Peoples play in the economy and the role they can play in Canada's response to tariffs. 'We've got lots to build on,' Obed said in an interview with The Canadian Press. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said she has high hopes for the Carney government. He has given her his cellphone number and the two have already shared a string of text messages since his election Monday, giving her confidence that he is listening. The list of priorities for the two organizations is not short: better infrastructure, child welfare reform, clean drinking water, investments in natural resource projects, mental health care and skills training, just to list a few. Obed said he wants the subsidy for Nutrition North transformed into a program that is more transparent and accountable to end-users. The subsidy, which is intended to lower the high cost of food in Canada's remote northern communities, is currently under review because studies showed it wasn't all being passed down to Inuit. Carney's platform also pledged to invest in Inuit Nunangat University, which would be the first of its kind and embedded in Inuit cultures, with an aim of promoting language retention and revitalization and supporting economic and cultural opportunities. Obed said he's awaiting legislative options to get the university closer to completion, and a secure fiscal commitment to ensure timelines are met to open the doors in 2030. He also wants to see continued funding to social programs Inuit have long advocated for, including the Inuit Child First Initiative, which ensures Inuit children have access to the same social supports as non-Inuit for health, education and social services. 'We've come a long way, but we can't afford to have an interruption or a complete departure from some of the incremental gains that we've made over the last 10 years when we're still so far away from equity, from outcomes, from other Canadian populations,' he said. Carney's party platform pledges to increase lands added to reserves within four years, and to help revitalize Indigenous languages and help close the $350 billion infrastructure gap in First Nations communities, though it doesn't specify when it expects that gap to close. It also pledges to introduce and pass legislation that affirms First Nations have a right to clean drinking water — something that began under Trudeau but failed to pass the finish line before Parliament was prorogued and the country was thrown into an election. Woodhouse Nepinak said the government should fix some of the problems identified with that bill before it reintroduces it. The new parliament has 12 Indigenous MPs across all major parties, which Woodhouse Nepinak said is imperative to ensuring government is working with the best interests of community in mind. 'It's a remarkable achievement,' she said. 'And it shows that First Nations do care, and that they're engaging (with government) more than ever before.' President Victoria Pruden of the Métis National Council was not available for an interview but provided a written statement which pointed to an election priorities document that called for growing the Métis economy, increasing education opportunities to help Métis enter the workforce and ensuring Métis are at the centre of climate leadership. 'Our priorities are focused on building a future where no Métis citizen is left behind,' Pruden said in a statement. 'Too many Métis families are still recovering from the economic impacts of COVID-19, climate emergencies, and the rising cost of living. We need urgent action that reflects our realities, our rights and our potential.' Carney pledged to work in partnership on self-government agreements, which Métis have said will make them full partners with the government and help them access similar services to Inuit and First Nations. The Trudeau-led government attempted to do similar, but a court order and heated disagreements between First Nations communities in Ontario and Métis groups ground that work to a halt. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'When the federal government doesn't follow through on its commitments, it's our most vulnerable citizens who feel it first, those waiting for education support, health services or stable housing,' said Pruden. 'We're ready to work in partnership. Let's reset the table and get to work.' Woodhouse Nepinak, when asked about those agreements, highlighted some concerns First Nations people have around a lack of what she called 'traditional land,' and said government and Métis groups need to speak directly to First Nations before any self-government work moves forward. 'We'll be sure to echo that loud and strong,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2025.
CBC
26-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
The 2025 federal candidates in brief: Kenora—Kiiwetinoong riding
Green, Independent, Liberal, NDP and PPC candidates share platform summaries The Kenora—Kiiwetinoong riding covers an area of about 255,000 square kilometres, and has a population of over 60,000. The riding includes Dryden, Kenora, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, Ear Falls, Ignace, Machin, Pickle Lake and Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls. Many First Nations fall within this riding, including Bearskin Lake, Cat Lake, Deer Lake, Eagle Lake, Kasabonika Lake, Kee-Way-Win, Kingfisher Lake No. 1, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Osnaburgh, Wabaseemoong, Wapekeka No. 2, Wawakapewin and Wunnumin Lake No. 1. CBC reached out to all the federal candidates to request summaries of key election issues as identified by northwestern Ontario voters. The candidates and their responses are listed in alphabetical order by surname are as follows: Kelvin Boucher-Chicago, Independent Healthcare, including but not limited to primary care, mental health and addictions: "Better efficiency and improved government and bureaucracy accountability." Cost of living, including but not limited to housing affordability and taxes: "Better efficiency and improved government and bureaucracy accountability." Housing and Homelessness: "Cut administration and use those funds for housing that actually fits the realities of those that need." First Nations issues, including but not limited to infrastructure and mental health: "Better efficiency and improved government and bureaucracy accountability." US-Canada relations, including but not limited to tariffs: "Canada must become more self-sufficient to stand on its own feet." Tania Cameron, NDP Healthcare, including but not limited to primary care, mental health and addictions: "Train doctors from north, invest in regional medical schools." "Universal mental healthcare, national pharmacare." "Invest in harm reduction, treatment." Cost of living, including but not limited to housing affordability and taxes: "Eliminate GST on groceries, diapers, kids' clothes." "Expand Northern Resident Deduction, reform Nutrition North." Housing and Homelessness: "Build 3 million homes by 2030." "Permanent $16 billion housing strategy." First Nations issues, including but not limited to infrastructure and mental health: "Respect free, prior, informed consent." "Implement TRC [Truth and Reconciliation] recommendations." "Fix Jordan's Principle." US-Canada relations, including but not limited to tariffs: "Build Canadian, Buy Canadian strategy." "Establish Jobs War Room." Bryce Desjarlais, PPC Healthcare, including but not limited to primary care, mental health and addictions: "Pause immigration to ease strain." "Support community-led solutions for addiction, homelessness, and mental health." "Make healthcare training more accessible." Cost of living, including but not limited to housing affordability and taxes: "Pause immigration to relieve housing pressure." "Cut red tape to build faster." "Eliminate carbon taxes and balance the budget to reduce costs." Housing and Homelessness: No response provided by candidate. First Nations issues, including but not limited to infrastructure and mental health: "Partner through community-led, culturally respectful solutions for reconciliation, health, and housing." US-Canada relations, including but not limited to tariffs: "Avoid tariffs, support fair trade, lower corporate taxes, and attract jobs and investment." Charles Fox, Liberal Healthcare, including but not limited to primary care, mental health and addictions: "Increase funding to provinces/territories to protect and modernize public health care system." Cost of living, including but not limited to housing affordability and taxes: "Cut taxes for the middle class." "Change EI [employment insurance] system so workers get the supports they need faster." Housing and Homelessness: "Government to act as developer for affordable housing." "Eliminate GST for first time home buyers." First Nations issues, including but not limited to infrastructure and mental health: "Strengthen Indigenous jurisdiction over child welfare." "Culturally based mental health programs including supporting infrastructure." US-Canada relations, including but not limited to tariffs: "Strategically respond to U.S. tariffs." "Expand network of trading partners." Jon Hobbs, Green Healthcare, including but not limited to primary care, mental health and addictions: "Strengthening healthcare so every Canadian has access to primary care, mental health, dental care, pharmacare." "Address healthcare worker shortages." Cost of living, including but not limited to housing affordability and taxes: "Eliminate income taxes for Canadians with incomes under $40,000." Housing and Homelessness: "Create Crown corporation to build affordable and rental housing." "Incentivize new housing with a variety of ownership models." "Built to sustainable rating systems." First Nations issues, including but not limited to infrastructure and mental health: "Commitment to reconciliation, Indigenous sovereignty." US-Canada relations, including but not limited to tariffs: "Fight tariffs, increase sovereignty, build Canadian green economy." Eric Melillo, Conservative
