
‘Everyone is hurting these days’: McPhail
Valerie G. Barnes Connell Jordan
Daily Herald
Jordan McPhail, Saskatchewan’s NDP Shadow Minister for Northern Affairs, has serious concerns about the economic situation in norther Saskatchewan, and he’s decided to take those concerns to the federal government.
Shortly after being elected, McPhail was in Regina raising concerns about the high cost of food in the north. While campaigning, McPhail found examples of residents paying more than $18 for a jug of milk, $15 for a bag of apples, and $20 for a bag of grapes.
In December, McPhail brought an emergency motion to the Human Services Committee seeking an investigation into high food prices, but the motion was blocked.
McPhail had opportunity to talk with federal minister of Northern Affairs, Gary Anandasangaree during the minister’s visit last fall to Grandmother’s Bay (GMB). McPhail said Anandasangaree is families with the concerns northerners have.
Now, the NDP MLA is calling on the feds to take a look at the situation with House of Commons committee studies to look into high food prices Northerners face.
“Everyone is hurting these days,” McPhail said in an interview with the Daily Herald. “We tried to bring motions forward in the Fall Sitting year…. For me, obviously, we’re hearing lots from northern Saskatchewan folks … about northern grocery prices.”
Since the Holiday season, McPhail has again travelled north, to Sandy Bay and Creighton and found the same concerns. He also wrote a letter to the Minister, asking for an investigation.
“This has to stop. These are Canadian people, and they can’t afford the basic food needed to keep them healthy,” McPhail wrote in the letter.
“To make matters worse, a doctor in La Ronge is now reporting treating 27 cases of scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C from fresh fruits and vegetables. If left untreated, scurvy can be fatal.”
McPhail said seeing cases of scurvy in northern Saskatchewan was “a canary in a coalmine” moment. He said it shows food security is a massive issue, and northern residents need to know their elected officials are doing something about it.
“Just because the Legislature isn’t sitting, doesn’t mean that I’m not going to continue to stand for people here in Cumberland, northern Saskatchewan,” he said. “My goal is to keep on the forefront, talking about the issues coming day in and day out up here. Food pricing is one of the top that I’m hearing.”
McPhail said the Minister has some familiarity with the situation in northern Saskatchewan after his visit to GMB. He’s hopeful Anandasangaree will read it and take action.
McPhail and Anandasangaree also heard this from people across the north, including the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) Chief and Council during the visit to GMB.
McPhail said there were healthcare and other options available to the federal government, including Nutrition North Canada. They also have a responsibility to Saskatchewan people, McPhail said.
In the meantime, he is not going to give up turning every stone he can think of to support the people of his constituency.
In December, the 15th edition of Canada’s Food Price Report predicted a three to five per cent increase in food prices in 2025. That would cost the average family of four an estimated $800 per year.
When asked about high food prices following McPhail’s emergency motion in December, provincial government spokesperson Emma Long emailed a statement saying the government had already removed the PST from basic grocery items like meat, eggs, milk, and vegetables. Long also said the carbon tax is “the main driver of inflation” and said the government had taken steps to remove it on items like home heating.
She also said the province plans to invest in more highway infrastructure to make the supply chain to northern communities more reliable.
editorial@paherald.sk.ca