Ottawa has earmarked $1 billion in its upcoming federal budget for a Canada-wide school food program amid the rising cost of groceries.
The money will be divvied up over a five-year period to provide meals to 400,000 more children each year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters April 1 during the Liberal government’s pre-budget tour.
While education doesn’t fall under federal jurisdiction, a national program would allow Ottawa to partner up with provinces and territories, many of which are already doing the work alongside community groups, Ms. Freeland said.
Mr. Trudeau said the upcoming budget—which will be tabled in the House of Commons April 16—is “about fairness for every generation.”
“We’re stepping up as a government not because it’s the nice thing to do, but because it allows us to be more successful as an economy,” he said.
The Liberal government has long promised to launch such a program, and Mr. Trudeau campaigned on it during the 2021 election.
The NDP has also been pushing the Liberal government to fulfil that promise ahead of the federal budget. The party’s confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals had come on the condition that the government implement a national pharmacare and dental care program.
The government is set to release its budget on April 16, but is announcing what will be part of the budget ahead of time.
Last week, the government said it will introduce a “renters’ bill of rights” that would include a national standard lease agreement. The government says it will also earmark a $15 million fund for legal aid organizations to help tenants against “renovictions.”
The government projected a deficit of $38.4 billion for 2024–25 in its fall economic statement. The national debt currently stands at around $1.2 trillion, with yearly finance costs ballooning in recent years due to higher interest rates.
