The need for food sovereignty in northern Indigenous communities – Policy Option

My colleague Jasmine Ramze Rezaee rightly highlights the importance of food insecurity in Canada as a policy failure. I work closely with the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre in Iqaluit as the Indigenous network manager at Community Food Centres Canada.

As it is National Indigenous History Month, I want to build on her call for a national plan by emphasizing the distinct realities in northern Indigenous communities.

At our gathering in Iqaluit last September, Indigenous leaders from across the country reaffirmed that food sovereignty, not just food security, is essential. In Nunavut, where over half of households are food insecure, income support is critical but insufficient.

We need policies that recognize the right to access traditional food sources, support community harvesting, and enable intergenerational knowledge sharing. Across the country, our people are not only trying to eat. We are reclaiming and practicing the resurgence of our traditional ways.

Read More: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/june-2025/food-insecurity-northern-indigenous/