While many Canadians have felt the pinch of inflation, northern Canada’s grocery prices have always been extreme. The exorbitant cost of food on the North is thought to be a naturally occurring phenomenon blamed on free-market forces, but authors Kristin Burnett and Travis Hay argue that it is the direct result of government policies and corporate monopolies.

The following statement is an act of solidarity. It originated with faculty members in the Department of Indigenous Learning at Lakehead University but has grown to include the academic community from across Turtle Island. We stand with the family of Barbara Kentner, the Anishinaabe community, and Indigenous women in the pursuit of justice and ending violence against Indigenous women and their communities.