Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to Motion 358, the universal nutrition program, which addresses the importance of good nutrition for all young Canadians. It is a privilege to be able to speak to such an important issue, championed by Senator Eggleton and ably advanced by Senator Marty Deacon.

Good nutrition is not the only way to help young people grow into healthy adults, but it is part of what we can do. This assistance is particularly important for those young Canadians who face obstacles to their current and future health as a result of food insecurity.

We know that food insecurity, also known as inadequate access to nutritious food, affects many Canadians. Often overlooked is that this number includes 1.15 million children, and food insecurity is not equally distributed across our country.

People who live in poverty, Indigenous peoples and those who live in remote areas, particularly the North, are over-represented in this data. These are the young people who are most vulnerable to the problematic outcomes that inadequate nutrition brings.

Poor nutrition can impact both brain and body development, resulting in long-term negative health outcomes in both physical and mental health. Often these may not be seen early in life but may be manifested later in life.

We understand the importance of good nutrition for infants and young children. It is also important for us to know that older children and adolescents need good nutrition for optimal brain and body development. We know that the adolescent years are very important for the growth of the human brain, specifically those processes that are vital for improving our higher cognitive capacities, such as abstract reasoning and complex problem-solving, our ability to regulate our emotions and our understanding of social and civic complexities. Over the adolescent years, bodies grow and develop rapidly. Good nutrition is essential for optimal physical growth.

Will better nutrition alone provide all that is needed? No. But it is one important part of what is needed. So a national approach to improving nutrition makes sense.

What also makes sense is using schools as the site for its delivery. One reason is because schools are the place where most young people are. Education is the great socio-economic leveller, and public health interventions delivered through schools are great health levellers; for example, vaccinations, screening for poor vision and so on. Nutrition falls into that same category.

Nutrition interventions delivered through schools can be one of the most important health levellers to help achieve better health outcomes for all young people.

Examples of this positive approach abound. For instance, an intervention applied in the Toronto District School Board demonstrated improved student behaviours, reduced numbers of disciplinary incidences, improved sustained attention and reduced tardiness. Studies of school nutrition programs in Manitoba and Alberta showed significant increases in vegetable and fruit consumption, lower obesity rates, improved social interactions and better school attendance. A Nova Scotia school breakfast program had a positive impact on a number of variables, including better mathematics performance.

Numerous studies from jurisdictions outside Canada have also demonstrated positive impacts on other important outcomes, including but not limited to improved academic attainment, fewer school suspensions and better behaviour.

Some research has demonstrated that these outcomes were disproportionately greater in youth from disadvantaged groups. Thus these interventions may be able to help improve equality of opportunity for both academic and social success.

In all of these considerations, it is important to keep in mind that eating habits and food literacy are important components of a healthy lifestyle. When young people are exposed to programs that provide a nutritious meal as well as the opportunity to widen food-related learning in a school setting, they can establish good nutrition practices for the long term.

Recently, I had the pleasure to be invited to a school lunch and food learning event at Musquodoboit Rural High in Nova Scotia. This school serves about 300 students attending grades 7 to 12. There I participated in The Great Big Crunch, a part of that school’s better eating program, which includes school lunches and learning about food and nutrition. This event was organized by the Coalition for Healthy School Food.

I had the privilege of speaking to the students and joining them for their noon meal. What a good meal it was. It was so much better than the cafeteria food that I remember with no fondness from my own school lunch days. It included excellent discussion with the young people at whose table I sat. Our conversation was wide-ranging, thoughtful and enjoyable.

Later, I was able to meet some of the parents who volunteered in bringing this initiative to the school. This was a real community activity. As everyone was learning, they were enjoying what they were learning. After all, what’s not to like about learning how to make and then eat a delicious apple crumble?

Honourable senators, this motion is an important one. We should not delay in acting to improve the health of our young people. I look forward to a vote on this motion sooner rather than later and hopefully to its unanimous support in this chamber. Thank you.