Opposition table bills that would require N.S. government to provide school lunches

Nova Scotia opposition parties have both tabled bills in the legislature that would require the province to provide school lunch programs.

The Liberals reintroduced the School Lunch Program Act, which would bring a universal school lunch program to all public school students in Grades Primary to 9. In a news release issued Tuesday, the party said nearly one in four households in Nova Scotia experiences food insecurity, and the government should act immediately to provide a school lunch program so no child is hungry at school.

The party also introduced a bill to provide a grant of up to $5,000 to help middle-class households increase the energy efficiency of their homes.

“With the highest inflation rates in the country, many Nova Scotians are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living,” party leader Zach Churchill said in the release.

The NDP, meanwhile, also tabled legislation requiring the province to provide at least one meal per school day by the beginning of the next school year. 

“Nova Scotia families are finding it harder and harder to keep up with the rising cost of groceries and we know that children across this province are going without enough to eat. A universal school food program would help make sure that students across this province get the food they need so that they can stay healthy and focused on learning,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said in a release. 

“Giving hungry kids a healthy meal at school would make a real difference for thousands of families across Nova Scotia.”

In an emailed statement, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development said it is committed to making sure students aren’t sitting in class hungry.

“Our government has maintained and built on Nova Scotia’s existing food programs,” it said, adding that a universal school-based program that all students are able to use provides access to breakfast and beverage programming in schools. 

It said the department also funds Nourish Nova Scotia and helps schools routinely make food available to students through various programs.

Schools also have access to annual grants to support their work in providing lunches to students who need them, according to the department.

“The federal government promised a national school food policy as part of their 2022 budget. The province continues to express our support for a national school food policy and is prepared to work in lockstep with the federal government to bolster school food supports for Nova Scotia’s students,” the statement said, adding that the department’s minister, Becky Druhan, has told the federal government that Nova Scotia is interested in and ready to move forward with expanding access to food through a national school food program.