Historically, food security policy in Inuit Nunangat leave Inuit with little agency to develop their own pathways to food sovereignty, and instead directly enrich and enable large grocery chains owned by southern interests. With almost 200 publications in academic and gray literature since 2011 on the shortcomings and relative successes of Canada’s current northern food security programs, too much research attention is being given to justifying or accounting for a status quo that Inuit already know does not meet their needs.
Pauktuutit is seeking to transform this policy conversation by looking beyond the status quo and exploring and highlighting effective and existing working alternatives in food subsidy delivery and food security funding and programming, particularly as these effective policy frameworks are applied in rural and remote communities with relatively little infrastructure. Additionally, and appreciating the uniqueness of Inuit Nunangat and Inuit historical and colonial context, we invite proponents to think big by either data modelling a unique alternative or reworking current food security funding to more directly support Inuit families, and demonstrate the social and economic impact of new policy that delivers food security benefits more directly to Inuit communities.
