441-02271 (Social affairs and equality)

WHEREAS:

• School food programs are recognized around the world as essential to the health, well-being and education of students with over 388 million children in at least 161 countries receiving free or subsidized school meals at school;
• New data from Statistics Canada (2022) indicates 1 in 4 children in Canada lives in a food-insecure household;
• Canada is the only G7 country without a national school food program; and
• Budget 2022 reaffirmed the December 2021 mandate letter commitments for the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food by directing them to work with provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous partners, and stakeholders to develop a National School Food Policy and to explore how more Canadian children can receive nutritious food at school, and public consultations took place through November - December 2022.

We, the undersigned, members of the community and residents of the Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington region, call upon the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development, and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to prioritize funding for a National School Food Program through Budget 2024 for implementation in schools by Fall 2024.