A number of Canadian children do not have enough food to eat during the school day. In response, the Canadian government plans to spend $1 billion to create the National School Food Program (NSFP) to provide meals to 400,000 children.But such a program would fall under provincial jurisdiction.“We’ll work with provinces and territories and indigenous partners towards ensuring every child has the food they need,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a Monday press conference. “We just know that when kids eat better, they do better in school.” That is why the teachers, volunteers, and advocates Trudeau spoke with informed him of and what he remembers from his time as a teacher. When a child walks up before class and says he is hungry, Trudeau said it “means we all have more work to do as a school community, as a country, as a world.” He added every child should be able to eat well, as it will allow them to reach their full potential. He brought up how his government created the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), providing families with up to $8,000 per child per year. Because of the CCB, he said 650,000 children have been lifted out of poverty and the child poverty rate has been cut in half. By ensuring every child has the opportunity to reach their potential, he said Canada will have a strong economy. The Conservatives have opposed the Liberals’ moves to fund social programs. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland started off the press conference by saying the 400,000 children who will be served with the NSFP will be in addition to those from other programs. “It’s a lot of kids,” said Freeland. “I’m really glad we’re able to do this.” She said it will start as early as the 2024/2025 school year. Employment and Social Development Canada revealed in January it dropped a 2024 deadline to introduce a national school lunch program. READ MORE: Social Development Canada drops 2024 free school lunches target“Potential policy components that will be further explored through the engagement process include health promotion and ensuring food is adequate and nutritious, exploring how to align programming to needs in a way to avoid stigma, culturally appropriate programming and ensuring accountability,” said ESDC. The briefing note was dated in September. ESDC made no mention of any deadline.
