(Ottawa) Canada’s Minister of Families, Jenna Sudds, said the government hopes the National School Food Program will be launched before the end of the next school year. However, it will take time for organizations to scale up their activities.
The Liberals have set aside $1 billion over five years for this program, which will be used to feed children across the country, as they promised during the 2021 election campaign.
Mme Sudds says the agreements with the provinces and territories will be similar to the child care agreements they signed to reduce the cost of child care.
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, announced the new policy that will guide these negotiations on Thursday during a press conference in Nova Scotia. The National School Feeding Program will largely build on existing organizations that already feed children and aim to eliminate stigma.
Mme Sudds says lunch, breakfast or snack programs should be available to all children in a school.