Food insecurity in NunavutSA国际影视传媒檚 10 largest communities rose by 13.5 per cent during the transition to Nutrition North Canada, which offers subsidies to retailers, from the Food Mail Program, which offered subsidies for shipping via Canada Post.

This hike in the percentage of food insecure households from 33.1 to 46.6 per cent took place between 2010 and 2014, according to the study titled , published May 21 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

SA国际影视传媒淚f anything, this is an underestimate,SA国际影视传媒� said Andr茅e-Anne Fafard St-Germain, who co-authored the study with Valerie Tarasuk and Tracey Galloway.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 the 10 largest communities. And itSA国际影视传媒檚 not like the sample is representative, even of those 10 communities. If we were to include all 25 communities in Nunavut, weSA国际影视传媒檇 probably have way higher rates if we think of what came out of the Inuit health survey in 2007 with rates of 60 per cent and above.SA国际影视传媒�

The study SA国际影视传媒� which took the authors more than two years of honing in on the available data SA国际影视传媒� makes clear that people are not able to meet their food needs.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a different way of saying whatSA国际影视传媒檚 been said for many years. There have been so many groups that have criticized the program and made recommendations on how to improve it. If (the program) was really effective those rates probably wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be going this high, wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 keep creeping up,SA国际影视传媒� said Fafard St-Germain

The study does not definitively state the program is to blame.

SA国际影视传媒淏ut we wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 expect things to be getting worse,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淭he government is saying thereSA国际影视传媒檚 more and more food being shipped to those communities. How can that be true while we see rising rates of food insecurity? How can those two things co-exist at the same time? Well, we donSA国际影视传媒檛 really know who is accessing that food. Is it possible itSA国际影视传媒檚 a very specific segment of the population accessing that food, while for the other segment things are just getting worse?SA国际影视传媒�

Fafard St-Germain makes the point that just because Nutrition North does bring the costs of some foods down, it doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 mean people can afford to buy it. She also says a program like Nutrition North canSA国际影视传媒檛 be expected to bring Nunavut food insecurity rates down to the national level.

The authors are interested in determinants and consequences of food insecurity, and their relationship to policy initiatives.

Fafard St-Germain says Nutrition North is the only federal initiative in the country that aims specifically to improve peopleSA国际影视传媒檚 ability to afford and access food.

SA国际影视传媒淔ood Mail had been in place for a very long time. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 kind of a landmark in policy landscape, for the North especially,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

She adds the hope is the study can be an advocacy tool.

SA国际影视传媒淭o say, SA国际影视传媒榃e really need Nutrition North to be evaluated against a more tangible outcome, something that is more meaningful in terms of peopleSA国际影视传媒檚 ability to put food on their table,'SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淭his kind of model of food subsidy has been in place for over 50 years, the Food Mail program and then Nutrition North. The rates of food insecurity have always been very high SA国际影视传媒� and worse now. Maybe itSA国际影视传媒檚 time we move past a food subsidy program, and start thinking of the other kind of actions that are needed to meaningfully and sustainably bring those rates of food insecurity down.

SA国际影视传媒淲e wanted to really bring forward this notion that we really donSA国际影视传媒檛 know what this program is doing.SA国际影视传媒�

A scathing 2014 report from the Office of the Auditor General stated essentially the same thing.

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The federal government held extensive consultations throughout the North beginning in 2016, and communities shared their needs and ideas. In December 2018, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade Yvonne Jones travelled to Iqaluit to .

Some changes were made to the $99 million programSA国际影视传媒檚 subsidy rates and food eligibility list, but the retailer subsidy structure remained.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think a lot of people have a lot of ideas how to improve it, but the extent that theySA国际影视传媒檙e really listened to is questionable,SA国际影视传媒� said Fafard St-Germain.