OTTAWA
Teevi Mackay is committed to spreading the word about food insecurity in the North.
Iqaluit-raised Teevi Mackay, who studies journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa, wrote an article on food insecurity in the North that was mentioned in the legislative assembly on May 13. - photo courtesy of Teevi Mackay |
Born in Arctic Bay but raised in Iqaluit, the fourth-year journalism student at Carleton University in Ottawa, has been voicing her concerns about the issue through a number of venues including a recent article for the Canadian magazine Above and Beyond.
The story, which included anecdotes from her childhood, was so powerful that it struck a chord with Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliott, who tabled it in the legislative assembly on May 13.
"I was very happy to hear that," she said, adding that she received an e-mail from an assembly clerk informing her of the mention.
Mackay believes the root cause of food insecurity is the high cost of living in the North.
"It's gone up a lot since I was a child," she said. "I started noticing when we began losing money for food."
In her article, Mackay discusses a trip to Iqaluit in February, where she visited a family of six whose fridge was virtually empty. This left her feeling helpless in the face of a growing problem, she stated.
She recently took part in the creation of a mini documentary called From Igloos, To Microwaves which looks at the story of a Nunavut woman who was driven south because of high food prices in the North.
Mackay said she is encouraged by the creation of a new initiative at her school - Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement - which addresses food insecurity issues in Canada by doing research at the community-level.
"If I could speak to MLAs in Nunavut I would encourage them to become involved with it," she said.
Elliott, who encouraged all members of the assembly to read Mackay's piece, said her story identified exactly what the government is trying to accomplish.
"The story itself is a personal account from someone who isn't a politician," he said. "I've been blessed with a good job, a good salary, and I can see the issues (Mackay) talks about for my constituents, the majority of them who are on income support."
Eliott said programs such as Nutrition North Canada, which replaced the Food Mail Program in 2011, needs more transparency.
"The program was initially set up for people who are the most vulnerable," he said. "But nothing has changed within the program to allow more buying power for them. (MLAs) will be putting forward a motion to request the auditor general to look at the program and evaluate it."
