Prime minister directs new northern minister to update, expand Nutrition North program

Nutrition North is on the to-do list of the new minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade.

Minister Dominic LeBlanc received his mandate letter from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, and the food subsidy program in remote and northern communities is on the list of 11 top priorities.

The letter directsthe ministerto work to update and expand the Nutrition North program in consultation with northern communities.

"It's a direct instruction from the prime minister," said LeBlancin an interview with CBC.

"If it's of significant importance to him to directly refer to it in the mandate letter, it's a priority to him."

It's a direct instruction from the prime minister.- Minister Dominic LeBlanc

LeBlanc travelled through the territories earlier this month. He said he spoke with a number of people about the Nutrition North program andheard about the high cost of getting food into the North, the feeling that there is a lack of transparency on how funding for the program is spent, and ideas on how to include traditional food in the program.

Nutrition North providessubsidies on shippingfor retailers on a list of products the government deems to be nutritious or essential.

"Freight subsidies will and must be part of the program, but I think there should be room for communities that want to innovate aroundlocally-sourcedfoods from the land or the sea," he said.

While speaking with residents of Iqaluit about food prices, he said he was surprised to learn that ordering online from a site like Amazon could get canned goods deliveredcheaper than shopping at local stores.

"I need to understand from the people administering the program how that could be possible. I heard it myself and frankly it surprised me," he said.

LeBlanc said he is not satisfied with the level of transparency in the program and wants to see what can be done to improve it.

'Sense of urgency'

In the fall of 2016 consultationswere held on the Nutrition North program across the territories.Indigenous and Northern Affairs released a reportin May 2017. It found that the program fails to make healthy food affordable, and the subsidy is not helping the people who need it most.

According to an email from the department overseeing Nutrition North, changes to the program continue to be developed with ongoing input from stakeholders.

"To do this right, we are taking the necessary time and steps to co-develop options for program improvement that reflect what we heard from Northerners and Indigenous communities and be more responsive to their needs," said the email.

LeBlanc said he understands people are looking to see changes to the system, and while there is no timelinein place, he will be looking for regular updates from the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations.

"I do feel personally a sense of urgency, based on what I heard," he said.

"The people that I talked to all shared, voiced, that sense of concern that we can make significant improvements to the program and we are at a time now where we should proceed to do that."