QUESTION PERIOD — Employment and Social Development
National School Food Program
October 22, 2024
According to Statistics Canada, nearly 1.8 million children are living in food-insecure households.
According to the Breakfast Club and its partners, 800,000 children in Canada still do not have access to high quality support programs. These children, who are often from vulnerable communities, rely on these initiatives for essential nutritional support to help with their well-being and success at school.
The National School Food Program is a great government initiative. However, community organizations are concerned that these funds may no longer be available in the long term, or that they may be compromised because of shifting government priorities.
What commitments has the government made to guarantee stable, sustainable, long-term funding for this program, thereby ensuring that it remains effective for future generations of children?
Thank you for the question.
The government released the National School Food Policy, which describes the long-term vision for school food programs in Canada as well as the guiding principles and objectives that will help turn this vision into a reality. This government believes that we need to invest in people. That means giving children the best start possible in life and helping parents when they need it most. This National School Food Policy relies on a multi-billion-dollar investment that the government announced in Budget 2024 to launch the new National School Food Program, which will ensure that children have access to the food they need to succeed.
As for future generations, in a parliamentary democracy, it is hard for a government to tie anyone’s hands, but I hope that the program will continue to exist. That is the government’s objective.
Thank you. To provide a bit of predictability to the Breakfast Club and other community groups, the government must speed up negotiations with the provinces and sign agreements.
So far, only one bilateral agreement has been signed, but children’s food needs continue to grow, especially in the most vulnerable communities. Does the government realize that these delays have consequences on the health and educational success of children as well as on the well-being of Canadian families?
The government is well aware of these challenges. That said, the government recognizes that the provinces and territories have jurisdiction over education and health, which generally include school food programs. It is continuing to work towards agreements with the provinces and territories. I’m confident that the government will reach agreements as quickly as possible.
