School food programs make life easier. They provide healthy meals to kids throughout the school year. They also save working families hundreds of dollars in grocery bills.
On November 29, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced an agreement with the Government of Prince Edward Island to increase school food programs in the province. This agreement, under the federal government's National School Food Program, will provide over 1,500 more kids with healthy lunches, and over 800 more kids with healthy breakfasts and snacks this school year. With this agreement, a two-child family in Prince Edward Island will save $800 in grocery bills a year on average.
This initial federal investment of approximately $7.1 million over three years will help families and keep more money in their pockets. This investment will also support critical program needs like food transportation, storage, and preparation equipment. All in all, this will result in an estimated 438,000 more meals served to kids across Prince Edward Island this school year.
Our National School Food Program is a direct investment into the middle class - helping teachers and making mornings a little easier for working families. It is also a safety net for the kids who need this support the most. We're going to work with provinces, territories, Indigenous partners, and stakeholders to ensure every child in Canada has the food they need while at school.
The National School Food Program is part of the federal government's work to put more money in your pocket. On the week of November 18, the Prime Minister announced a tax break for all Canadians. With a GST/HST exemption from December 14, 2024, to February 15, 2025, across the country, this tax break will save families money on things like groceries and kids clothing. We're creating more jobs, building more homes, expanding affordable dental care, and giving every Canadian a tax break - so they can buy the things they need and save for the things they want.
Quotes
"Today's school food agreement will get healthy school lunches, breakfasts, and snacks to thousands of kids on the Island and reduce hundreds of dollars in grocery bills for families. With the tax break for all Canadians and now the school food agreement with Prince Edward Island, our government is putting more money in your pocket."
The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
"Prince Edward Island has been a leader in delivering school food programs, with our province-wide pay-what-you-can' lunch program set to deliver over one million meals in 2024-25. This new federal investment recognizes the success of our existing programs and allows us to do even more. By expanding our breakfast and snack programs and creating centralized food hubs, we will strengthen the efficiency and reach of these programs, continuing to provide nutritious meals that support Island students and families."
The Hon. Dennis King, Premier of Prince Edward Island
"It's clear that the government is prioritizing the well-being and health of kids in Canada. We know that access to healthy food can make all the difference in a child's day. That's why we're building a National School Food Program, because kids learn better on a full stomach. Today's agreement is another important step that builds on our shared goal of ensuring that kids in Prince Edward Island get the meals they need to excel in school so that they have a fair shot."
The Hon. Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
"My wife Frances was a teacher, and it broke both of our hearts when we heard about kids going hungry at school. This announcement is an investment in our future. It means that more children will have access to a nutritious meal so they can focus on learning, and I know it will make a real difference in the lives of so many Island families."
The Hon. Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Quick Facts
- Announced in Budget 2024, the National School Food Program will feed hundreds of thousands of kids across Canada every year. The Program will also be a safety net for the kids who are most impacted by the lack of access to food, including lower-income families and some Indigenous communities.
- School food programs provide children and youth with meals and snacks at school, often at no-to-low cost for participating families. School food provides many benefits, including reducing hunger, improving nutrition and health outcomes, supporting local economies, and reducing food-related spending for families.
- Budget 2024's investment of $1 billion over five years includes distinctions-based funding for First Nations on reserve as well as Inuit, Métis, and Modern Treaty and Self-Government agreement holders. We are working directly with Indigenous partners on the rollout of that funding, with more information to come.
- In addition to the National School Food Program, the federal government launched the new School Food Infrastructure Fund in September. The Fund will deliver over $20 million to help not-for-profit organizations invest in infrastructure and equipment to support school food programming across Canada.
- Prince Edward Island (PEI)'s existing provincewide school food programs are well established, with their breakfast and snack program operating since 2008 and their pay-what-you-can lunch program operating since 2020. In 2023-24, the province's breakfast and snack program served over 13,000 students and PEI's lunch program served over 10,000 students.
- In 2024-25, PEI is investing over $5.4 million to sustain and enhance existing school food programs, including the province's breakfast and snack programs and pay-what-you-can lunch program. These programs are delivered through two different streams of funding:
- $5+ million for PEI's lunch program.
- $380,000 for PEI's breakfast and snack program.
- As part of November 29's agreement, PEI will use part of the federal funding to create additional centralized food hubs that will help reduce reliance on vendors, increase the efficiency of school food programs, and improve student satisfaction.
- PEI has 75 schools, with 21,800 Island students.
- PEI is the latest province to announce an agreement with the federal government through the National School Food Program, after Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, and Ontario. To give every child the best start in life, the federal government is also:
- Giving families more money through the Canada Child Benefit, to help with the costs of raising children and make a real difference in the lives of kids in Canada. The Canada Child Benefit, which is providing up to $7,787 per child in 2024-25, is indexed annually to keep up with the cost of living and has helped lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty since its launch in 2016.
- Working with all provinces and territories to deliver an early learning and child care system, which has already cut fees for regulated child care to an average of $10-a-day or less in over half of all provinces and territories, and by 50 per cent or more in all others.
- Improving access to dental health care for children under 18 with the Canadian Dental Care Plan, because no one should have to choose between taking care of their kids' teeth and putting food on the table.
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