After Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq was criticized for openly reading the newspaper in the House of Commons as opposition MPs asked questions about high food prices and hunger in her riding, she insisted Tuesday that the people of Nunavut are her “top priority.”
Without a newspaper in sight on Tuesday, Aglukkaq answered every query during question period, including questions about the environment and a recent documentary that showed people in Rankin Inlet scavenging for food at a local landfill.
Aglukkaq came under fire for her demeanour during question period Monday as opposition MPs raised the issue of dumpster-diving and exorbitant food prices in Nunavut, the northern territory she represents.
She calmly read the newspaper in her seat as Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt answered questions about the effectiveness of Nutrition North, the food subsidy program created to offset the cost of groceries in remote northern communities and provide residents with healthy, affordable food.
Many criticized Aglukkaq for not answering all questions Monday, although others have pointed out that Nutrition North falls under Valcourt’s file and it was more appropriate for him to address the issue.
Asked again Tuesday about landfill scavenging in Rankin Inlet, which was highlighted in an APTN documentary, Aglukkaq said the well-being of people in Nunavut “has and continues to be a top priority.”
She also reiterated that she did not demand an apology from Rankin Inlet’s deputy mayor after he criticized the federal government, as has been reported. She said those allegations are “absolutely false.”
NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair slammed Aglukkaq again on Tuesday during question period, asking: “Will the prime minister tell his minister to put down the newspaper and start doing her job?”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended Aglukkaq, saying “there’s no doubt that the people of Nunavut have ever had stronger representation.”
Harper also defended the Nutrition North program, saying the government has contributed $60 million per year toward it. He also said there has been a 25-per-cent increase in the shipping of healthy, perishable foods to northern communities.
Last week, however, a report from Auditor General Michael Ferguson highlighted that it costs, on average, twice as much to feed a family in Nunavut as it does elsewhere in Canada. The report said Ottawa has to do a better job of helping feed the people in Canada’s North.
