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Results: 1 - 15 of 47
View Gary Vidal Profile
CPC (SK)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to start by saying how much I've appreciated the testimony of all of you today. The information provided has been fascinating and valuable.
Solutions that come from the local community level, where it's your lived experience and you're seeing what goes on, are always more valuable than solutions being imposed on somebody from a distance somewhere. I appreciate the testimony you've brought and the comments in response to the questions you've already been asked.
For the Arctic Fresh folks, Mr. Recinos and Mr. Cendou, I so much appreciate your entrepreneurial approach to solving problems that talk about local economy and that talk about opportunity for people in your communities. That's a conversation I've been having for years in northern Saskatchewan, a long way away from where you are.
I could listen to you talk about what you've done for hours. I'm fascinated with what you're doing, and I appreciate it. However, I want to change the focus to hear a different perspective for a second, just for something new.
I looked at the information on your website, your story and your history. You talk about your three pillars, the pillars of health, community and youth. I want to drill a little bit into or ask your opinion maybe on the value of educating your youth relative to the context of healthy eating, the entrepreneurship, the.... It's so important that we educate our youth to make that long-term change in the context of all this. I'd be curious as to your perspective on that.
I'll start with Mr. Recinos first.
Chief Joseph, I want to prepare you that I'm going to come back to you and ask the same question in the context of your lived experience, as well.
Merlyn Recinos
View Merlyn Recinos Profile
Merlyn Recinos
2021-05-04 12:55
Thank you.
Definitely one of our pillars is youth, and it's really about how we build that capacity.
Not everybody grew up eating vegetables in our communities. Not everybody grew up eating this sort of food, so how do we build capacity locally so we're able to utilize those? Most of the stuff that is highly subsidized right now are things that we're used to eating in our southern communities, but not so much what has been historically eaten in our communities and now.
One of the things that we do is every time.... We do cooking classes at the community hall. We teach how to utilize different things, how to make different recipes. We incorporate traditional hunting food, like char, caribou and things like that, with other things, like vegetables and different things like that. I'll give you a quick example.
One time we had a bunch of broccoli in our community, so we started to teach how to make different types of broccoli salads. Before, in the sell swaps, everybody would sell poutine in the evenings. When people were trying to get a little bit, they were selling poutine. Now they sell broccoli salad with clubhouses. It's something the community really likes. They enjoy the different flavours, the different types of broccoli salads that can be made. You have to have that. You have to focus on that, building that capacity locally.
The youth are our future. We really need to focus on that, as well, but we also do it in a business capacity sense. We're teaching different youth from different communities how to start and run their own business. We partnered up with Makigiaqta. We cover their costs. We help them with logistics. We help them make partnerships with suppliers, and things like that, so that they can start operating their small business in their community.
Once people start to see that somebody else is doing it, they want to do it too, and it creates this ripple effect. Now you're learning how to eat, you're learning how to cook different things, but at the same time, you're also learning different activities that are going to be self-sufficient for you and your community.
Roberta Joseph
View Roberta Joseph Profile
Roberta Joseph
2021-05-04 12:58
As mentioned, youth are really key and an important part of our community. We invest a lot in our youth. Various youth have different interests, so we try to meet their level of interest. We had many youth who were interested in working on the farm and learning about agriculture through the training program. It's key and important to our community that one day they'll be taking over management of the farm.
We look forward to when that time comes, because we continue to invest in the farm heavily. It's important that we have some level of food security, and it's providing a much stronger and growing economy in our community.
Marie Rochette
View Marie Rochette Profile
Marie Rochette
2021-02-23 11:11
Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for inviting me to be part of this study on food security in northern communities.
Last December, Adamie Delisle Alaku, one of the vice presidents of the Makivik Corporation, had the opportunity to give you some information on the beautiful region of Nunavik and on the challenges resulting from its remoteness. I won't repeat the information that he provided during that presentation.
I want to talk about the Parnasimautik report, which was prepared following an extensive consultation with Nunavik Inuit in 2013. The report referred to growing concerns about food insecurity, which affects an alarming proportion of the population; the decline of certain animal species; and climate change. The report emphasized the key role played by the land's resources in the region's food, way of life and economy. It reiterated the need to protect the land and its resources to ensure food security.
These concerns and aspirations aren't new. Local and regional organizations have been focusing their efforts on these issues for several decades. Nevertheless, food insecurity remains very high in the region.
I'll provide some preliminary data from the 2017 Quanuilirpitaa survey. The data is preliminary because the final report should be released in summer 2021.
The survey repeated a question that had been asked in the previous survey in 2004. Participants were asked whether they had experienced, in the month prior to the survey, a period in which there wasn't enough to eat in their home. Almost 34% of Inuit reported that this situation had occurred in 2017. In comparison, the figure was 24% in 2004. The situation doesn't seem to have improved over time.
To explore the issue further, in 2017, a scale with different questions was used to try to better define the proportion of Nunavimiut considered food insecure. If we include individuals who experienced mild food insecurity, over three-quarters of Nunavimiut reported that they experienced food insecurity in the previous year. The concern is that this proportion is higher among youth. The rate is 87% among youth aged 16 to 19. It's even higher among pregnant women, at 89%.
The Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services has been providing support to organizations for several years to help create initiatives that contribute to food security, health and well-being. This support may include professional support, funding, training, networking opportunities, toolbox-type resources or recipes, for example. Some of the initiatives involve activities run by community kitchens that use both traditional and market foods. There are activities to encourage people to make healthier food choices, such as in-store activities and nutrition activities in family homes.
Food assistance, such as food hampers and meal distribution, is being provided to people who have difficulty obtaining food. Gardening activities and greenhouse projects are currently being carried out in four Nunavik communities. There's also a growing interest in these types of projects.
Regional resources or projects are being run not only by the regional board, but also by several partners, such as the food coupon program for pregnant women and school meal and snack programs. Emergency food assistance is being provided to people who are currently in quarantine or isolation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. There's also the hunter support program, along with the community freezers found in each community.
To take these initiatives even further, a food security policy is being developed. A regional task force was created in 2015 upon the initiative of the Makivik Corporation, the Kativik Regional Government and the regional board.
The task force has partnered with various regional organizations in Nunavik. The task force's goal is to find short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions to improve the accessibility and availability of nutritious food. Four engagement sessions were held in 2017 and 2018. Over 150 people from all the Nunavik communities took part in these sessions. The following topics were discussed: access to traditional foods; promotion of healthy eating; accessibility and availability of nutritious market foods; and local production and processing.
With these topics in mind, the following issues were identified as priorities for policy: improving access to traditional foods; improving the accessibility, quality and availability of nutritious market foods; supporting the development of knowledge and skills; and promoting community partnership, engagement and decision-making.
The next step is to develop the policy. I must admit that the COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately put a halt to this initiative. We hope to be able to start work again soon. We must then prepare a five-year action plan and secure the commitment of all stakeholders at the local, regional, provincial or federal level.
I'll conclude by saying that the vision, which is supported by the policy and the stakeholders contributing to it, consists of a food system that includes both traditional and non-traditional foods. The system will be rooted in the land, local resources, and Inuit culture and values.
Thank you for your attention.
View Jaime Battiste Profile
Lib. (NS)
I'm glad you brought up youth. I was on the Assembly of First Nations Youth Council many years ago. I've talked to people from northern Manitoba, and they have mentioned the lack of connection with the environment, and the mental health impact that is having.
Can you speak about the impact that is having on the mental health of youth, and whether you're getting a lot of outmigration, namely, youth leaving the communities?
Garrison Settee
View Garrison Settee Profile
Garrison Settee
2021-02-18 11:37
Yes, that is the challenge in first nations. When you have the reality of 85% unemployment, there is very little opportunity, and that escalates into a lot of things. They try to alleviate their pain, and they turn to drugs and alcohol. They leave the community. When they leave the community, it sets up a cycle of homelessness, and all kinds of challenges if they don't have the education to secure a job.
COVID has really shone the light on a lot of the deficiencies and inadequate programs that we have in first nations, because the youth are the largest demographic. They're the ones who suffer the most. In a first nations community where they're isolated, they are now in quarantine. It exacerbates the problems. As a result, there are many mental health issues.
Being out on the land, and having access to the land, is the way our people heal themselves. That's all connected with food security. It's all connected, and everything is interrelated in our culture.
View Rachel Blaney Profile
NDP (BC)
The other thing you talked about was education, and the supports that are required for youth and mental health. I imagine that food sovereignty has a huge impact on the mental health of young people. Are you getting the appropriate supports, and how is food sovereignty specifically impacting the mental health of young people?
Garrison Settee
View Garrison Settee Profile
Garrison Settee
2021-02-18 12:07
Our education funding is low. It's not meeting the requirement. We can't have programs, such as land-based training and education with a land-based approach. It's not there, so we're robbing Peter to pay Paul many times to get a program going.
View Rachel Blaney Profile
NDP (BC)
Is the mental health issue really impacted by on the land education?
Garrison Settee
View Garrison Settee Profile
Garrison Settee
2021-02-18 12:08
Absolutely. It brings healing, when there is an opportunity to go out on the land. The mind and emotions are settled. Self-esteem is critical.
View Jaime Battiste Profile
Lib. (NS)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm coming to you guys today from Eskasoni, a Mi'kmaq community. It's a first nations reserve of close to 5,000 people. With my discussions with the indigenous caucus, we've been noticing across Canada that it has been a really tough year for indigenous people in 2020. Regular prevention methods around supports, around ceremony, social gatherings such as powwows and athletic events that were held among communities in terms of hockey tournaments have all been cancelled. It's really done a number on our communities in terms of their mental health, but also we're witnessing a lot more addictions in terms of alcohol as well as opioids.
We're looking at this winter coming as a very bleak one for first nations across Canada, on reserve and off. We're really looking to get some recommendations out there.
I know the most recent funding announced said we were going to do $631 million over the next two years for a public health response, as well as an additional $82.5 million for mental wellness needs. Can the witnesses give us some recommendations on best practices around indigenous youth, indigenous people on reserve and ensuring that we can still build up their morale and their hope during a pandemic that has taken so much from them?
Can you give us any kinds of best practices and recommendations on that funding? What is working in terms of ensuring that we're offering the supports in the right areas to the indigenous communities?
Christopher Sheppard
View Christopher Sheppard Profile
Christopher Sheppard
2020-12-01 13:08
I guess I'll quickly go. Thank you, Mr. Battiste.
I think, number one, especially when we're talking about indigenous young people, let's recognize that Canada doesn't have any specific one-stop program that supports the development of indigenous young people at all. For the fastest-rising demographic in Canada, the people who will be our economy in 20 years, there's nothing. If there is anything that exists, it's a subcategory of a current program, so you could serve vulnerable women or vulnerable young people.
Canada once did have a program specifically for young indigenous people to come up and become leaders and be involved. Jocelyn and I actually went through that same program at the same time. To me, why do we not have something? This is something that I and Jocelyn have presented at multiple levels of the federal government for a very long time. If there is anything specifically, it's a specific program for children, a specific program for young adults, regardless of where you live, that looks at how you support them in becoming able to have the same success that other children in this country do.
To me, that's something that is critically important. I try to remind everyone that young indigenous Canadians are the Canadian economy in 20 years, so if you want a successful Canadian economy, you have to support those young people who will make up those who are forcing that economy forward. You won't have a choice.
Christopher Sheppard
View Christopher Sheppard Profile
Christopher Sheppard
2020-12-01 13:10
It has gone by many names. Originally it was the urban multi-purpose aboriginal youth centres program. It was part of a program under Canadian Heritage. Then it was CCAY, and then went into non-existence.
View Jaime Battiste Profile
Lib. (NS)
In terms of this $82.5 million for mental wellness needs that we've announced, you believe a distinct category should be created to support youth during this difficult time. Is that what I'm hearing?
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