Data collected by Stats Canada found poverty rates are double on average across the territories than the provinces. Analysts with Food Banks Canada found that food insecurity rates were 10 per cent higher in the North. According to the findings, over 22 per cent of people in the territories are living below the poverty line. That’s about two times the rate found in the provinces, where data shows about 10 per cent of the population are living below the poverty line on average.
Authors of the report emphasize food insecurity in the territories is “complex” and “extends beyond the high cost of food.”
The researchers emphasized for Indigenous communities of the North, colonial policies and market forces have threatened to erode Indigenous food security for many decades.
Changes to the federal government’s Jordan’s Principle program in 2025 have also created growing uncertainty around accessing nutritious food and specialized dietary needs for Indigenous children.
Researchers with Food Banks Canada have found that the food-insecurity rate for the territories is 37.4 per cent, compared to 25.5 per cent for the provinces. This represents an increase of about 11 per cent 2021.
Researchers looked at the prices of food over time and found that food costs in the North have in some instances doubled or tripled in costs in comparison to the provinces. Recent changes to the Jordan’s Principle program have exacerbated the issue for households in the territory. Researchers emphasize that access to traditional food is a “critical component” to meet food security goals in Indigenous communities, to move towards cultural and traditional food sustainability away from cost-inflated, market-based foods.
According to the data collected, Nunavut has the highest poverty rate at 34 per cent and teh highest food-insecurity rate at 58 per cent among all the territories of the North.
“People who live in the North contend with food costs that can be double or triple the costs in southern regions of the country,” noted the analysts behind the study.
They used an example of an estimated average monthly cost for a nutritious food basket as a reference point.
For a northern family of four the cost was $1,805.44 in 2022, over $700 more than the cost of a nutritious food basket in Ottawa in that same year, even after subsidies were applied.
Between 2022 and 2024, the cost of food in Qikiqtaaluk rose at a much faster rate than in the rest of Canada.
The cost of a selection of 23 most commonly purchased products increased by more than 20 per cent in Qikiqtaaluk, compared to an average of 12 per cent nationally.
“Numerous factors contribute to greater food costs in the North, including higher costs to build and maintain a store (including high electricity costs), the need to pay adequate wages to workers to accommodate the higher cost of living, greater risk of spoilage due to shipment distances, and transportation costs,” said researchers.
Researchers emphasized that food insecurity in the North is “complex” and “extends beyond the high cost of food.”
Findings from the study showed that factors such as limited choice, restricted access, poor quality and availability of foods, cultural disruption and the impacts of climate change have ongoing impacts on families and communities.
“In regard to traditional food access, climate change has been associated with a range of challenges, including reduced animal and plant populations, shorter harvesting seasons, dangerous hunting conditions, and increased financial costs for hunting-related expenses, such as higher fuel costs for unpredictable weather or longer hunting trips,” said researchers.
Having access to traditional food was found as a “critical component” strengthening food security in Indigenous communities. Having access to traditional practices like hunting and fishing and traditional foods were shown to significantly relieve reliance on cost inflated grocery items.
“Colonial policies and market forces have been eroding Indigenous food security for decades, but communities across the North are finding innovative ways to reclaim food sovereignty. They include initiatives that support increased traditional food access — for example, community hunts — and local food production — for example, greenhouses, small-scale farming, and food hubs”
