Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On numerous times, I have talked about the high cost of food in our small communities. Here is what I am talking about, Mr. Speaker. Two oranges at the Northern Store in Tulita cost $3.60; if you want to buy a good can of blueberry or strawberry fruit, that costs close to $8.00. That is about $12.00, including GST, to the consumer, Mr. Speaker.
That is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we pay for food in the region of Sahtu. I am afraid of what other regions have to pay. Mr. Speaker, the federal government has a food and mail program that pays part of the cost for shipping good, healthy food by air to isolated northern communities not accessible by year-round roads.
My question to the Minister of Transportation is, can he tell me what he knows about this food and mail pilot project by the INAC department that was completed in
three northern communities, that further decreases the freight rate from 80 cents to 30 cents a kilogram? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.