Going to school on an empty stomach is far from fun! The Government of Canada has therefore decided to do more to help children who do not have enough to eat. From the next school year, even more free lunches will be offered to Canadian students. We dissect this news for you!
Being hungry hurts concentration, because our brain needs to be nourished to function well. In Canada, it is estimated that one in four children does not have enough to eat. That’s almost two million children! It’s way too much.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants that to change. He announced that he was launching a school feeding program. From September, 400,000 children will have access to healthy meals at school. All of this should cost $1 billion, spread over five years.
This idea is not new. In fact, Canada is part of a group of countries called the G7. And it is the only one of the lot not to have a program providing meals to students.
Quebec not excited by this news
Quebec is not against feeding students, obviously! On the other hand, the government of Quebec finds that the government of Canada does not interfere in its affairs. He reminds us that school is the jurisdiction (or responsibility) of Quebec, and not of Canada. I’ll give you an example so you can understand better.
This is a bit like what the Quebec government said after Justin Trudeau’s announcement on school meals. He reminded Canada that school was a responsibility of the province and that it was in Quebec that decisions were made.
This does not mean that the Quebec government will refuse money from the Canadian government. But he wants to be able to manage this amount his way! This is a file to follow, and we will do it for you!
Caroline Bouffard, The Aces of Info
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