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Canadians protest $20 cabbage, $65 chicken

Holly Bensur Contributor
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What if your grocery store’s cheapest whole chicken was $65? What if you had no other option than to buy it in order to feed your family? This is what citizens in the Canadian territory of Nunavut have been facing and they’re not putting up with it any longer.

Nunavut residents organized rallies on Saturday to protest the outrageous food prices, like $20 for a head of cabbage, $15 for a bag of apples, $82 for a case of ginger ale and $13.49 for a pack of spaghetti.

The protest was initiated by Leesee Papatsie, a mother of five in Iqaluit, who created a “Feeding My Family” Facebook page and posted pictures of food in her grocery store with captions of the prices to alert others to the absurd costs, Sun News reports.

“This is traditionally not the Inuit way, I understand that,” said Papatsie, “But we’re trying to get Nunavummiut to say ‘Hey, food it too expensive.’”

The group description on Facebook reads: “This site is about the high cost of food in Nunavut. Please share this site with others. We are trying to get Nunavumiut to stand together on Saturday June 9, 2012 between 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, outside their main store.”

The protest comes just weeks after “the federal government dismissed concerns from a United Nations representative about food insecurity in Canada’s North,” The Province reports.

The Food Security Coalition has been established with representatives from six different governmental departments as well as Inuit organizations to address serious concerns about poverty and food security.

The remote location of Nunavut is one explanation for the inflated prices. The food has to be transported by boat or airplane, adding to the cost for consumers.

The Daily Caller was unable to reach the operators of the store where many residents gathered to protest. A phone number provided by a local resident had been disconnected.

According to the Facebook page, the protests were effective. “We are doing good! Bought an avocado for 1.99, (was 5.99 for one) green onions 2.19, cranberry juice 4.99 from 18.99,” Simona Arnatisaq wrote. “Our voices are being heard. Thank you all.”

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Holly Bensur