By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
Amid calls from nonprofit organizations to give students in elementary and secondary schools more regular access to healthy food, the federal Liberal government has announced plans to implement a national school lunch program. “With an investment of $1 billion over five years, the Program, included in Budget 2024, will launch with a target of providing meals to 400,000 more kids every year, beyond those served by existing school food programs. For moms and dads, it will mean the peace of mind that your kids are taken care of and do not go hungry. For kids, it will mean healthy meals – helping them learn, grow, and reach their full potential,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said in a statement, after the rollout of the program was announced in April. Québec Solidaire (QS) has also made implementing a school lunch program one of its stated policy priorities for the fall term.
Currently, students in Quebec’s public schools get breakfast and lunch through a patchwork of programs, which vary from region to region and even within school boards. “There’s not a single morning meal served in a school in the province that is funded by the government,” said Claudine Dessureault, principal purchasing and inventory advisor at the Breakfast Club of Canada, which provides free breakfast to students at about 500 schools in Quebec that have been designated as underprivileged by the provincial government.
