The federal Liberal government is finally making good on a years-old election campaign pledge, committing Monday to allocate $1 billion over five years to fund a new national school food program. The funding, to be included in the upcoming April 16 budget, will help provide meals to an additional 400,000 Canadian kids a year.

The federal Liberal government is finally making good on a years-old election campaign pledge, committing Monday to allocate $1 billion over five years to fund a new national school food program.

The funding, to be included in the upcoming April 16 budget, will launch with the aim of expanding existing school food programs, providing meals to an additional 400,000 Canadian kids a year.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland made the announcement in Scarborough, backed by members of cabinet and caucus as part of their latest pre-budget press tour.

    • ImplyingImplications
      10·
      3 months ago

      A lot of things should be handled by the provinces, but unfortunately there are premiers who care more about backroom deals with billionaires than administering social programs. I don’t mind the federal government stepping in to run social programs if the premiers have abandoned their province. It’s kind of hard to say the government is overstepping their boundaries by feeding children.

      • wise_pancake
        2·
        3 months ago

        That’s how I feel too.

        I don’t like the federal government pretending to be provincial and the provincial governments blaming them for everything.

        If the premiers don’t want to run provinces, then dissolve the provinces.

    • spyd3r@sh.itjust.works
      229·
      3 months ago

      This should be handled by parents. If you want kids, you should be paying for them, not expecting people who work for a living to pick up the bill.

      • GreyEyedGhost
        21·
        3 months ago

        If you don’t live alone in the woods in a house you built yourself off the food you caught or grew in the clothes you made, you’re surviving on the support of others to one degree or another. We call it civilization. Moreover, these are kids, who had no choice in their birth. And finally, study after study has found a net economic benefit in making sure kids are fed enough to learn, so it is less of a burden than just letting kids starve.

        So what’s your reason for preferring to see kids go hungry?

        • spyd3r@sh.itjust.works
          16·
          3 months ago

          The kids shouldn’t go hungry, their parents should be held legally and criminally responsible for not feeding them.

          What’s your reason for preferring parents to be negligent?

          • Nik282000
            2·
            3 months ago

            The federal and provincial governments have driven the proles into permanent debt. It is not possible to raise kids in Canada without being financially crippled, unless you were rich to begin with. It is up to all levels of government to either orchestrate their economy to the point that the majority of citizens have an income sufficient to provide for kids, OR provide the resources for raising kids directly.

      • psvrh
        6·
        3 months ago

        Fine, sure. I’m okay with this if you agree that every road should be a toll road and you pay for the cost of the road based on how far you drive and the weight of your car.

        Also, you have to pay for cops to patrol your neighbourhood. Also fire, if there’s a fire, you have to pay before your house burns down.

        I mean, Somalia’s still a real-life Galt’s Gulch, and you’re welcome to move there.