What's the issue?
Food security is an issue in most parts of Labrador, from the cost of goods to the reliability of marine service delivering food to otherwise isolated communities.
Who cares most about it and why?
The issue has been brought up many times by the Indigenous governments in the region, with Nunatsiavut calling for changes to the federal subsidy program, Nutrition North, and for more reliable marine service. Food security has the largest impact on the north coast but all of Labrador feels cost increases to varying degrees, with the south coast having to bring food in earlier this year due to the ferry's inability to cross the Strait of Belle Isle.
How might this impact my family and friends?
Cost and inconsistent food availability in the area is high, due to isolation and lack of competition. It has an impact on all residents of Labrador, with the higher costs also making it difficult to recruit and retain workers from outside the area and keep existing residents in the region.
What are the parties promising to do about it?
SaltWire reached out to the candidates in the Labrador riding and received a reply from all but the Green Party candidate, Tyler Colbourne.
Conservative Party of Canada candidate Larry Flemming said the number one concern he hears from Labradorians is the cost of living.
“Labradorians are concerned about the cost of groceries, gasoline, and home heating,” Flemming said in an email. “They can’t afford more Liberal tax hikes and are worried about reliable ferry service.”
Flemming said his government would lower taxes by scrapping the carbon tax, removing GST off home heating and energy bills; and introducing a Universal Tax Cut.
Micheline Grey, who is running for the New Democratic Party, said her party’s platform includes a Northern Infrastructure Fund it says will fast track money to work with provinces to reduce barriers by building roads to make communities more accessible.
“Food security is a struggle for the coastal communities in Labrador with the unreliable marine transport that many communities depend on to deliver food to the South and North coasts,” Grey wrote. “Especially considering there are no roads to Nunatsiavut communities, if the service does not run they do not get the provisions they need!”
Grey brought up price gouging as well, pointing to the cost of goods in Nain, and how her party would reform Nutrition North to serve the region better.
“Our government will support Indigenous food sovereignty, working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities to expand access to healthy food, including traditional and country foods,” she said. “Working together with Northern communities, we are committed to reforming Nutrition North program to improve food security for northern families.”
Liberal incumbent Yvonne Jones had plenty to say on the matter of food security in Labrador, both in terms of what the Liberal government has done to try to mitigate the issue and plans it has for the future.
“Food security is an issue across the north despite many efforts and changes to implement new programs and invest more money,” she said.
She pointed to changes to the Nutrition North program under the Trudeau government, which increased its budget from $65 million to $127 million. Despite that, Jones said, a lot of communities aren’t seeing a large decline in the price of food. She said government is working with ITK, the national organization that represents Inuit, to come up with recommendations on how to make the program more effective.
Another recent change to Nutrition North Jones brought up was the harvester support program, which will provide grants to communities in the north to allow them to hunt from the land and provide culturally-appropriate foods. The program will help with running community freezers and tool purchases needed for the program, such as ammo.
Jones said despite the changes; however, there’s still a long way to go. People are telling her they’re still not feeling that subsidy in their homes and pocketbook, she said, so government needs to look at how that money is distributed, and why to prices remain high.
“We can fly milk and eggs, for example, from Goose Bay to northern communities and we cover the freight cost yet the price difference is ridiculous. When you can buy a cranberry juice for $5 in Goose Bay and once it gets on the store shelf in northern Labrador it’s $15 — there’s a huge problem.”
The ferries is a provincial issue, Jones said, but she recognizes people are concerned with the ferry services and will do whatever she can to assist from the federal level.
Green Party candidate Tyler Colbourne did not respond.
What key piece of intel will help me form an opinion or have a conversation?
The Nutrition North program, designed to subsidize the cost of goods in northern communities, has been heavily criticized for years, both for transparency and effectiveness.
The reliability of marine service to Labrador has been a contentious topic for years and has been a bigger issue this year, with many calling for a different ferry more suited to the climate.
Call to action
Government needs to look at the subsidies it provides to northern communities and make them more in line with the needs of people, not big business.
More reliable transportation needs to be provided to Labrador, be it marine or air. Each year there are concerns in northern Labrador food will not make it in for the winter and if it does, it will be old and possibly out of date.
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