Does Canada need a national school lunch program? The NDP ‘demand’ it

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he and his party “demand” that a national school lunch program be included in the April 16 federal budget.

“Right now, we’re making it clear what we’re asking for, we’re making it clear that this is our demand, and now the ball is in the Liberal court,” Singh said at a press conference in Courtenay, B.C.

“This is our ask we’re putting forward in the budget and we’re putting pressure on the government to deliver. I challenge Justin Trudeau, at a time when people can’t afford food, this is a concrete measure. We’re the only country in all of the G7 nations that doesn’t have a school lunch program.”

The Liberals campaigned on establishing a “national school food policy” in their 2021 election platform with the goal of working with the provinces and territories to start a school meal program. The campaign document said this would cost $1 billion over five years.

1:41 Some New Brunswick schools facing lunch program cuts

The B.C. government has its own school meal program, funded at $214 million over three years meant to address the immediate needs of “hungry students.”

B.C. NDP MP Gord Johns said a federal program would fill the gaps in provinces like B.C.

In Nova Scotia’s upcoming budget, the provincial government has already announced $18.8 million for the development of a lunch program.

While the NDP does have its supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals to advance legislative priorities like the recently-introduced pharmacare bill, a national school lunch program is not part of the deal.

Singh said that he sees the text of the agreement as “a floor, not a ceiling” and he plans on ramping up the pressure to establish a lunch program.

“We’re going to start at this phase with putting it out there, that this is what we want,” Singh said. “And now we’re going to ramp up the pressure. We hope to see other advocates, other voices say yes, this is a time to make it happen.”