Trudeau Announces $1 Billion in Funding for National School Food Program Ahead of Budget

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. “We’re going to get this done by working together with provincial, territorial, and indigenous partners, and expanding access to school food programs across the country,” Ms. Freeland said at the Scarborough, Ont., press conference. “And we want to get started as early as the 2024–25 school year.”...