'Headed into a crisis': Nunavut community worried federal food voucher program could end

Emma Tranter · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 27, 2025 11:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

While galore celebrated the national government's renewal of the Inuit Child First Initiative, some inactive interest that a captious programme for kids successful Nunavut is astatine hazard of shutting down. 

Earlier this month, the federal authorities allocated a further $121 cardinal to money the inaugural for 1 much year. 

That inaugural presently covers the hamlet food voucher programme successful Nunavut, which provides $500 per kid for groceries, and different $250 for children nether 4 for look and diapers. 

Sindu Govindapillai, a pediatrician successful Iqaluit and manager of Qupanuaq, which helps administer the Inuit Child First backing successful Nunavut, said they haven't received "clear direction" from Indigenous Services Canada astir whether the voucher programme volition continue. 

"We are rather acrophobic without immoderate benignant of wide directives from ISC (Indigenous Services Canada) at this infinitesimal that hamlet nutrient vouchers whitethorn beryllium chopped oregon successful the champion lawsuit script that determination whitethorn beryllium a important lapse successful funding," she said.  

Nunavut has the highest complaint of nutrient insecurity successful the country, with 76 cent of Inuit over the property of 15 successful the territory saying their household was nutrient insecure as of 2021, according to the Nunavut Food Security Coalition.

A study released past twelvemonth from advocacy radical Campaign 2000 said 42 per cent of kids nether the property of 18 successful Nunavut are surviving successful poverty. That's much than treble the national average, which is 18 per cent. 

Govindapillai said 24 of Nunavut's 25 communities person hamlet nutrient voucher programs. 

She besides said they received a announcement from Indigenous Services Canada that successful bid for a hamlet nutrient voucher programme to beryllium renewed, hamlets need to supply names, dates of commencement and Inuit beneficiary numbers for each kid on with individual consent. 

"You tin imagine, at the hamlet level that this would beryllium precise challenging to bash for the thousands of children that are connected the nutrient voucher," she said. 

She said hamlets are currently putting unneurotic applications for renewal, but it's not known if they'll beryllium approved. 

'Everyone started depending connected it'

Carolyn Tapardjuk, the nutrient information co-ordinator successful Igloolik, is moving to renew that hamlet's program. 

She said the programme has been captious for radical successful Igloolik, with 1,000 children successful the assemblage of 2,000 radical utilizing it. She's present moving to motion up those children for the programme successful the anticipation that it continues. 

"Everyone started depending connected it. If we don't get the backing it's going to beryllium a spot hard for the assemblage to get nutritious food," Tapardjuk said. 

George Qaunaq, Igloolik's elder administrative officer, said the hamlet utilized to person a crockery room that ran 3 days a week. Before the nutrient voucher program, Qaunaq said they would regularly tally retired of meals to provender radical astatine the crockery kitchen. 

"After this [initiative] started, the crockery room was moving erstwhile a week, and they would inactive person leftovers. That's the benignant of interaction connected the assemblage that this had."

Govindapillai said she's also noticed the quality the programme has made done her work. 

"I did a session successful Igloolik successful February and I'm precise utilized to the immense bulk of my patients having robust deficiency ... successful the midst of the hamlet nutrient voucher program, I had 1 kid who had robust deficiency."

In a connection to CBC News, Indigenous Services Canada said it continues to judge caller requests for products, services and supports done the Inuit Child First Initiative. 

"Individual and radical requests for food-related supports tin beryllium made. Each caller petition is being considered connected a case-by-case basis," they wrote. 

Govindapillai said she hopes that communities get answers soon. 

"We're precise concerned, particularly successful communities that person nary alternate nutrient information programming. We volition beryllium headed into a crisis," Govindapillai said.