Auditor general to examine federal government’s northern food subsidy program

Canada’s auditor general has agreed to examine a federal program intended to subsidize the high cost of fresh, healthy food in the North.

Michael Ferguson has agreed to audit the Nutrition North program at the request of six northern New Democrat MPs.

The legislatures of all three northern territories also asked for an audit.

Nutrition North subsidizes retailers to bring in certain kinds of foods in communities with no year-round road access.

Those subsidies are supposed to be passed along to northerners, but many question if that is happening.

Others say the list of foods that qualify for the subsidy is too narrow.

Ferguson says the audit should be ready by the fall of 2014.