Food assistance for schools: a Quebec-Ottawa agreement of $65 million over three years
It should be increasingly rare for children to have an empty stomach at school. Quebec has signed an agreement with Ottawa to get its share of the federal school food program, which will result in the payment of $65 million over three years to support the good nutrition of Quebec children.
The announcement was made Friday morning by federal Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville at the Breakfast Club of Canada distribution centre in Varennes, Montérégie.
The federal Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Jean-Yves Duclos, made the announcement of this agreement with the Quebec Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville. (File photo)
Acknowledging that negotiations can often take longer with Quebec, Minister Duclos was pleased to have been able to reach an agreement with Quebec, in this case, in a more than reasonable time, particularly because the province is already acting in this area.
I would say that this time, it went rather quickly and quite well. There are still several other provinces that have not yet signed with the Canadian government. The good news is that we already had a program of measures in place in Quebec.
A quote fromJean-Yves Duclos, federal Minister of Public Services and Procurement
The federal amounts will thus increase those of Quebec City, which paid roughly the same amount, about $65 million, for the 2024-2025 school year alone. Two-thirds of this amount, or $44 million, was spent on the Food Assistance program to provide breakfasts, snacks or lunches at school and in daycare services.
For Bernard Drainville, Quebec's Minister of Education, food aid can contribute to the academic success of students. (File photo)
The rest of the money is divided between the Breakfast Club of Canada, which is receiving $15 million this year, and the Cantine pour tous, which has received $5.4 million.
For Bernard Drainville, there is no doubt that feeding children at school is a winning proposition.
In the classroom, the concrete result means better motivation, improved ability to concentrate, better retention of learning and, ultimately, better academic success. That's why we're here today. This is a great day for Quebec students.
A quote fromBernard Drainville, Quebec Minister of EducationIn the end, some 800,000 students out of a total of more than one million were able to benefit from school and child care food support this year, a proportion that is expected to grow with the addition of federal funds.
Minister Drainville nevertheless wanted to remind us that the state is not there to replace parents. The first people who have to make sure that our children arrive at school after a good breakfast and have what they need to function during the day, this responsibility is first and foremost that of the parents. The state is not there to replace parents. The State is there to complement, to help parents.
The announcement was made Friday morning by federal Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville at the Breakfast Club of Canada distribution centre in Varennes, Montérégie.
The federal Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Jean-Yves Duclos, made the announcement of this agreement with the Quebec Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville. (File photo)
Acknowledging that negotiations can often take longer with Quebec, Minister Duclos was pleased to have been able to reach an agreement with Quebec, in this case, in a more than reasonable time, particularly because the province is already acting in this area.
I would say that this time, it went rather quickly and quite well. There are still several other provinces that have not yet signed with the Canadian government. The good news is that we already had a program of measures in place in Quebec.
A quote fromJean-Yves Duclos, federal Minister of Public Services and Procurement
The federal amounts will thus increase those of Quebec City, which paid roughly the same amount, about $65 million, for the 2024-2025 school year alone. Two-thirds of this amount, or $44 million, was spent on the Food Assistance program to provide breakfasts, snacks or lunches at school and in daycare services.
For Bernard Drainville, Quebec's Minister of Education, food aid can contribute to the academic success of students. (File photo)
The rest of the money is divided between the Breakfast Club of Canada, which is receiving $15 million this year, and the Cantine pour tous, which has received $5.4 million.
For Bernard Drainville, there is no doubt that feeding children at school is a winning proposition.
In the classroom, the concrete result means better motivation, improved ability to concentrate, better retention of learning and, ultimately, better academic success. That's why we're here today. This is a great day for Quebec students.
A quote fromBernard Drainville, Quebec Minister of EducationIn the end, some 800,000 students out of a total of more than one million were able to benefit from school and child care food support this year, a proportion that is expected to grow with the addition of federal funds.
Minister Drainville nevertheless wanted to remind us that the state is not there to replace parents. The first people who have to make sure that our children arrive at school after a good breakfast and have what they need to function during the day, this responsibility is first and foremost that of the parents. The state is not there to replace parents. The State is there to complement, to help parents.
