Achi news desk-
The federal government says it will launch a national school food program, hoping to distribute meals to an additional 400,000 children a year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland made the announcement during an event in Toronto on Monday, the latest in a series of public appearances by the prime minister and his cabinet ministers ahead of the federal budget planned for April 16.
“We all want children to have the best start in life, including the most vulnerable,” Trudeau said during the event.
“When a child walks up before class and says ‘I’m hungry,’ it means we all have more work to do as a school community and as a country.”
The federal government will spend $1 billion over five years to implement the program. That figure reflects a 2021 campaign promise made by the governing Liberals.
Freeland said the government hopes to have the program in place for the 2024-2025 school year.
Canada is the only G7 country that does not have a national school food program, according to the Canadian Breakfast Club. Advocates have argued that a national program is needed to fill gaps left by a patchwork of provincial, local and charitable programs under pressure from low resources and high food prices.
“Canadian families are struggling. With inflation pushing food prices to stratospheric levels, we know that a national school food program would help children and young people access nutritious food, which would then support their mental health, behavior and study habits,” said Debbie Field, coordinator of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, said in a February 27 media release.
The school food program is not one of the policy provisions set out under the Liberal-NDP supply and confidence deal, which has seen the New Democrats support the government in key votes for two years. But the NDP recently called on the federal government to implement a program.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will ‘put pressure on the government’ to fund school lunches for children across the country.
“Parents are doing everything they can to take care of their children, but the cost of food is still rising,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a media release last month. “In a country as rich as ours, no child should ever have to go to school hungry.”
In a post on social media on Monday, Singh referred to the program as a “demand” from his party.
Provinces have jurisdiction over education in Canada. Trudeau said Monday the government would work with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners to implement the program, including through additions to existing policies.
Trudeau defended a series of measures to which the government committed significant financial resources – such as pharmaceutical care, dental care and child care programs – even as it committed to fiscal responsibility in the upcoming budget.
Last December, the Conservatives voted against a private member’s bill that would have established a national framework for a school food program.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has harshly criticized the Liberal government for its handling of the economy and affordability issues, often citing the increase in the use of food banks across the country.
Poilievre, along with many provincial leaders, has also called on the government to cancel increases to the carbon tax, which comes into effect on Monday.
Source link
Related
