The Northern Corridor, Food Insecurity and the Resource Curse for Indigenous Communities in Canada

• Main Authors: Shirley Thompson, Stewart Hill, Annette Salles, Tanzim Ahmed, Ajarat Adegun, Uche Nwankwo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Calgary 2023
• Subjects: Political institutions and public administration (General); JF20-2112; Canada; Norman Wells; Northwest Territories; Nunavut; Shoal Lake; First Nations; inuit
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.11575/sppp.v16i1.76032; https://doaj.org/article/582f7d6b1d46406e9299c3bd8f35cd29

Food insecurity rates for Canada’s Indigenous people are the worst among developed nations, demanding immediate action to prevent an impending health crisis. Food insecurity in Canada is widespread across most First Nations households (51 per cent). The highest food insecurity rates are experienced by the Inuit in Nunavut (63 per cent), First Nations without access roads (65 per cent), and Alberta First Nations (60 per cent). Indigenous peoples’ food insecurity is associated with a shorter life expectancy and higher rates of physical and mental illnesses, including four times the diabetes incidence of Canada’s non-Indigenous populations. This paper analyzes the impact on food insecurity of a notional trade northern corridor to reach local and global markets, considering case studies of resource and utility corridors. This research found that, rather than improving food security and providing benefits, trade corridors typically bring a resource curse to Indigenous communities. Also called the ‘paradox of plenty,’ a resource curse occurs when Indigenous communities, particularly First Nation reserves, experience mainly negative economic impacts when their resources are extracted. A resource curse on Indigenous communities is apparent across Canada, including at Norman Wells in the Northwest Territories and Shoal Lake 40 in Ontario, where oil and water pipelines have resulted in negative environmental, health and socio-cultural impacts without providing permanent road access or long-term jobs, and without reducing high food prices. Also, the resource curse is evident for Alberta’s First Nations, which have the highest food insecurity rate of the country’s First Nations, despite being covered in pipelines and extractive industries. To explore the food security impacts of the notional northern corridor, we spatially analyzed its route’s proximity to mineral-rich greenstone belts, roads, and Indigenous communities without all-weather road access. The notional northern corridor route transects many rich mineral ...