Already alienated by the Canadian government and society due to a longstanding history of colonialism, forced assimilation, assault, and more, Canada’s Indigenous communities struggle to access a basic need: healthy, traditional, and affordable food (Haskell & Randall 2010). This situation is common throughout most Indigenous communities in the United States and Canada (Kuhnlein & Receveur 1996). The First Nations of Northern Ontario are experiencing some of the most severe cases of food insecurity, with rates of up to 70% of their populations lacking food access (Food Secure Canada 2022). Traditionally, the First Nations have enjoyed sharing meals with entire families and neighbors and eating traditional foods harvested locally. Unfortunately, a handful of barriers ranging from climate change to the supply chain have arisen which prevent such gatherings, forcing indigenous populations to lose historically important aspects of their culture in order to survive. 

Precarity of Local Food Due to Environmental Degradation

Global climate change has become a primary factor in the worsening of food insecurity. The changes that the earth is experiencing is altering the availability and safety of once crucial and reliable food sources. As ecosystems are changing, animals are forced to alter their habits and environments. This phenomenon is seen in Ontario, where alterations in migration times are making appearances by staple animals unreliable. Global pollution further challenges the procurement of healthy traditional foods through hunting and farming, as some water, animals, and plants may not be safe for human consumption due to dangerous pollutants (Desjardins et al. 2013). 

Reliance on Canadian Imported Food

Although the First Nations are technically sovereign, their current existence relies on the Canadian economy and social structure. Their grocery stores are commonly white-owned, and receive their stock from Canada. The grocery stores in these communities are hard to come by, and they are stocked with mostly unhealthy foods. “Healthy” foods and perishables often have extreme price inflation (Abraham et al. 2011). According to Ryan Flanagan from CTV news, three bananas cost $7 in a First Nations grocery store. A large supermarket chain (Loblaws) in urban Ontario’s website states that a bunch of bananas (about 6) costs $1.75; the First Nations’ grocery store is experiencing price inflation of approximately 8 times the typical cost. 

Combined with the inflation of other staple goods such as gas and hunting supplies, and the lack of public investment in proper infrastructure such as all-season roads, larger grocery stores, and water treatment plants, it has become nearly impossible for many Indigenous communities to embrace their culture and eat nutritional foods (Desjardins et al. 2013).

Resulting Health Problems

Besides the obvious side effects of losing touch with their traditional food procurement practices, rising food insecurity also leads to serious health problems among the Indigenous. As healthy food is so expensive and hunting is less reliable, people in these communities are working more and more. This is creating more physical and mental ailments, and minimizing time previously spent to connect with their traditional practices of food sharing, procurement, and communal meal preparation (Kuhnlein & Receveur 1996). Unfortunately as these communities are often isolated, healthcare is difficult to find and expensive, so those in these communities continue to suffer debilitating consequences (Cook & Richmond 2016). 

Is Change an Option?

Luckily, there are steps to take to fix this. Surveyed members of the Fort Albany First Nation community suggested that the creation of community gardens, food banks, and more infrastructure would improve their ability to return to traditional practices (Desjardins et al. 2013). If the range of accessible food increases and environmental impacts are mitigated, Indigenous communities can not only increase their food security, but experience a rebirth of traditional practices.

References

Abraham, R., Chambers, L., Fiddler, T., et al. 2011. “Food Availability, Food Store Management, and Food Pricing in a Northern Community First Nation Community.” International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(11): 49-61. http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_1_No_11_Special_Issue_August_2011/6.pdf

Cook, Catherine, and Richmond, Chantelle. 2016. “Creating conditions for Canadian aboriginal health equity: the promise of healthy public policy.” Public Health Rev, 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-016-0016-5

Desjardins, E., Hanning, R.M., Skinner, K., et al. 2013. “Giving voice to food insecurity in a remote indigenous community in subarctic Ontario, Canada: traditional ways, ways to cope, ways forward.” BMC Public Health 13, 427. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-427]

Flanagan, Ryan. 2020. “$20 hamburgers and $2 bananas: The cost of food insecurity in Canada’s North” CTV News. https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/20-hamburgers-and-2-bananas-the-cost-of-food-insecurity-in-canada-s-north-1.5154743

Food Secure Canada, 2022. “Affordable Food in the North.” Retrieved April 05, 2022. (https://foodsecurecanada.org/resources-news/news-media/we-want-affordable-food-north .)

Haskell, Lori, and Randall, Melanie. 2009. “Disrupted Attachments: A Social Context Complex Trauma Framework and the Lives of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.” Journal of Aboriginal Health, 5(3): 48-99. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1569034

Kuhnlein, H.V., and Receveur O.. 1996. “Dietary Change and Traditional Food Systems of Indigenous Peoples.” Annual Review of Nutrition, 16(1): 417-442. 10.1146/annurev.nu.16.070196.002221

Power, E. M.. 2008. “Conceptualizing Food Security for Aboriginal People in Canada.” Canadian Journal of Public Health / Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique, 99(2): 95–97. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41995048