IQALUIT, Nunavut (October 12, 2011) - The Members of the Legislative Assembly will meet with the Chairperson of the Nutrition North Canada Advisory Board and program administrators from the federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. “This meeting will provide an important opportunity for the Chairperson of the independent advisory board and federal officials to update MLAs and all Nunavummiut on the status of initiatives to enhance the Nutrition North Canada Program,” said Caucus Chairperson John Ningark, MLA for Akulliq. The special meeting of the Full Caucus will take place in the Chamber of the Legislative Assembly and will be open to the public to observe from the Visitors’ Gallery. The meeting will begin at 10:00am and will be televised live across Nunavut. The verbatim report of the meeting will be subsequently posted to the Legislative Assembly’s website. The fall sitting of the House, which begins on October 18, 2011, will resume on October 26, 2011. “Our national government has stated that it is committed to providing Northerners with healthy food choices at affordable prices,” said Monica Ell, MLA for Iqaluit West. “As one of the Legislative Assembly’s newly-elected Members, I look forward to the opportunity to raise concerns directly with the officials who are responsible for ensuring that this critical program achieves its goal.” In June of 2011, representatives from a number of retailers that serve Nunavut communities appeared before MLAs during the spring sitting of the House to respond to questions on the Nutrition North Canada Program. “My colleagues and I continue to encourage Nunavummiut to raise their concerns and questions about this federal program,” said Dan Shewchuk, MLA for Arviat. “I encourage residents to convey their views to us through the Legislative Assembly’s general information email, which is LegInfo@assembly.nu.ca.”
