Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This government needs to do more to tackle the high cost of living. In the remote communities the cost of food and

household essentials are double or even triple what you pay in Yellowknife. Nutrition North, which is run by the federal government’s department of Aboriginal and northern affairs, has replaced the old Food Mail Program.

In theory, Nutrition North makes healthy food more accessible and affordable. Its key mechanism is a transportation subsidy given to retailers.

A litany of complaints from northern residents and legislators about the program’s effectiveness was the driving force behind the Auditor General’s investigation, which was completed last fall. As many Northerners predicted, the federal government doesn’t know whether northern retailers are passing savings on to consumers. Merchants aren’t required to report their profit margins. The Auditor General advises that this information is essential to determine whether the full subsidy is actually being passed on.

Another question about a component of Nutrition North is that subsidies are applied to foods like bacon and processed cheese spread. These aren’t healthy foods, Mr. Speaker. The Auditor General isn’t the one confirming suspicions of northern residents. An article in the Canadian Journal of Public Health says that Nutrition North has a flawed reporting structure, which means there’s no meaningful way to gauge its effectiveness.

The federal program isn’t doing an adequate job of offsetting exorbitant food costs. More than that, our own territorial government has a responsibility to tackle food insecurity in our remote northern communities.

I’ll have questions for the Premier at the appropriate time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.