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

While many celebrated the federal government's renewal of the Inuit Child First Initiative, some still worry that a vital program for kids in Nunavut is at risk of shutting down. 

Earlier this month, the federal government allocated a further $121 million to fund the initiative for one more year. 

That initiative currently covers the hamlet food voucher program in Nunavut, which provides $500 per child for groceries, and another $250 for children under four for formula and diapers. 

Sindu Govindapillai, a pediatrician in Iqaluit and director of Qupanuaq, which helps administer the Inuit Child First funding in Nunavut, said they haven't received "clear direction" from Indigenous Services Canada about whether the voucher program will continue. 

"We are quite concerned without any sort of clear directives from ISC (Indigenous Services Canada) at this moment that hamlet food vouchers may be cut or in the best case scenario that there may be a significant lapse in funding," she said.  

Nunavut has the highest rate of food insecurity in the country, with 76 cent of Inuit over the age of 15 in the territory saying their household was food insecure as of 2021, according to the Nunavut Food Security Coalition.

A report released last year from advocacy group Campaign 2000 said 42 per cent of kids under the age of 18 in Nunavut are living in poverty. That's more than double the national average, which is 18 per cent. 

Govindapillai said 24 of Nunavut's 25 communities have hamlet food voucher programs. 

She also said they received a notice from Indigenous Services Canada that in order for a hamlet food voucher program to be renewed, hamlets need to provide names, dates of birth and Inuit beneficiary numbers for each child along with individual consent. 

"You can imagine, at the hamlet level that this would be very challenging to do for the thousands of children that are on the food voucher," she said. 

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

'Everyone started depending on it'

Carolyn Tapardjuk, the food security co-ordinator in Igloolik, is working to renew that hamlet's program. 

She said the program has been vital for people in Igloolik, with 1,000 children in the community of 2,000 people using it. She's now working to sign up those children for the program in the hope that it continues. 

"Everyone started depending on it. If we don't get the funding it's going to be a bit hard for the community to get nutritious food," Tapardjuk said. 

George Qaunaq, Igloolik's senior administrative officer, said the hamlet used to have a soup kitchen that ran three days a week. Before the food voucher program, Qaunaq said they would regularly run out of meals to feed people at the soup kitchen. 

"After this [initiative] started, the soup kitchen was running once a week, and they would still have leftovers. That's the kind of impact on the community that this had."

Govindapillai said she's also noticed the difference the program has made through her work. 

"I did a clinic in Igloolik in February and I'm very used to the vast majority of my patients having iron deficiency ... in the midst of the hamlet food voucher program, I had one kid who had iron deficiency."

In a statement to CBC News, Indigenous Services Canada said it continues to accept new requests for products, services and supports through the Inuit Child First Initiative. 

"Individual and group requests for food-related supports can be made. Each new request is being considered on a case-by-case basis," they wrote. 

Govindapillai said she hopes that communities get answers soon. 

"We're very concerned, especially in communities that have no alternative food security programming. We will be headed into a crisis," Govindapillai said.