全国学校食品计划为孩子们的成功奠定基础

🔊 朗读

2024 年 4 月 1 日

安大略省士嘉堡

从孩子到父母，再到祖父母，每一代人都应该拥有一个公平、健康的未来。这就是我们支持家庭的原因，也是我们在《2024 年预算案》中为建立一个帮助每一代人成功的经济所做的众多工作之一。

儿童理应拥有最好的人生开端。但如今，加拿大近四分之一的儿童得不到足够的食物。这影响了他们的健康以及学习和成长的机会。日用品价格上涨使父母难以负担餐桌上足够的健康食品。一项又一项研究表明，孩子们吃得好，学习成绩就会更好。而当孩子们表现出色时，就为他们的成功奠定了基础。每个人都应该获得成功的公平机会，我们相信，公平意味着我们在人生的每个阶段都要相互支持–这要从童年开始。

这就是为什么我们要为下一代投资，比如加拿大儿童福利金（Canada Child Benefit），它为每个孩子的家庭每年提供高达近 8000 加元的福利，以满足孩子们的基本生活需要。自 2015年以来，已有 65 万名儿童摆脱了贫困，这意味着加拿大的儿童贫困率下降了一半以上。

在帮助儿童，尤其是弱势儿童方面，我们将继续努力。

贾斯汀· 特鲁多（Justin Trudeau）总理今天宣布了一项新的全国学校食品计划。该计划将在五年内投资 10 亿加元，列入《2024 年预算案》，其目标是在现有学校食品计划的服务范围之外，每年为 40 多万名儿童提供膳食。对于爸爸妈妈们来说，这意味着您可以放心，您的孩子会得到照顾，不会挨饿。对孩子们来说，这意味着健康的膳食–帮助他们学习、成长并充分发挥潜能。这是对我们孩子未来的世代投资，我们将与各省、地区和土著合作伙伴合作，确保每个孩子都能获得他们需要的食物。

该计划将为最需要这种支持的孩子们提供一个安全网。无法获得食物对低收入家庭、种族化社区和土著社区的儿童造成了极大的影响。通过该计划，我们将为成长中的孩子们提供健康的食物。

这包括对原住民、因纽特人和梅蒂斯人社区以及自治和现代条约合作伙伴的投资，其中许多社区的粮食不安全率在加拿大最高。投资还将支持土著合作伙伴的能力建设和参与，共同制定文化上适当的解决方案。这些伙伴关系旨在通过推进土著主导的解决方案来解决粮食不安全问题，并将进一步推动我们的和解工作。

新的 “全国学校食品计划 “还将帮助各省、地区和原住民合作伙伴扩大其现有的学校食品 计划，以确保全国更多的儿童能够享受到所需的健康膳食。该计划对家长和孩子都有好处，对经济也有好处。它将有助于减轻家庭压力，直接投资于我们孩子的未来，同时改善儿童的健康、教育和福祉。

上周，我们宣布了保护租房者和创造更多负担得起的托儿场所的措施。除此之外，我们还 将采取行动，改善医疗保健和牙科护理，加强养老金，并增加药品供应–确保无论您的背 景或收入如何，都能获得健康所需的一切。我们都将在加拿大的成功中共同获益。而加拿 大的成功取决于最年轻的几代人是否健康、良好，并为成功做好准备。

引述

“全国学校食品计划是变革性的计划。该计划将减轻家庭的压力，直接投资于我们孩子的未来，并确保他们能够充分发挥潜力–感到健康和快乐。这关乎公平，关乎为我们的孩子做正确的事，让他们的人生有一个最好的开端”。

-加拿大总理贾斯汀· 特鲁多（Justin Trudeau）阁下

“自 2015 年以来，我们已将儿童贫困率从 16.3%降至 2021 年的 6.4%，使 65 万名儿童摆脱了贫困。如今，食品杂货价格的不断上涨让很多家庭，尤其是千禧一代的父母，很难负担得起孩子们需要的食物。为了确保每个孩子都能获得人生良好开端的公平机会，我们正在启动一项 10 亿加元的全国学校食品计划，以帮助另外 40 万名孩子获得茁壮成长所需的食品。

-副总理兼财政部长方慧兰（Chrystia Freeland）阁下

“我们正在制定一项全国学校食品计划，因为孩子们在吃饱的情况下学习效果更好。该计 划将产生深远影响，为家长提供支持，帮助他们支付较高的食品杂货费用，让孩子们有充 分的机会学习、成长，并充分发挥他们的潜能”。

-家庭、儿童和社会发展部长 詹娜·萨兹 （Jenna Sudds） 阁下

事实简要

• 加拿大政府将于 2024 年 4 月 16 日星期二由副总理兼财政部长向众议院提交 2024 年预算案。

• 最近几天，总理在 2024 年预算案之前宣布了新的行动，以确保每一代人的公平。2024 年预算案将：

o 为租房者，尤其是千禧一代和 95 后恢复代际公平，采取新行动保护租房者的权利，为他们成为房主开辟道路。

o 为更多家庭节省开支，通过在加拿大各地建设更多负担得起的托儿所并为幼儿教育人员提供培训，帮助更多妈妈重返职场。

• 近四分之一的儿童无法获得足够的食物，这对他们的学习和成长机会造成了切实的影响。根据研究，与很少或从未吃过营养早餐的同龄人相比，坚持吃营养早餐的学生在阅读、数学和科学方面的成绩更高。

• 有证据表明，学校供餐计划是社会平等的促进者。它们也是为儿童及其家庭提供公平和支持的综合方法的一部分。

它们的益处包括：

o 减少饥饿、粮食不安全和健康不平等；

o 支持学生的出勤率、学习成绩和成就；

o 通过降低食品成本和减少准备学校午餐所需的时间来支持家庭；以及

o 支持当地农民、当地经济以及可持续食品系统和做法。

• 为了让每个孩子都有一个最好的人生开端，联邦政府还将：

o 通过 “加拿大儿童福利金”（Canada Child Benefit）为家庭提供更多资金，帮助他们支付养育子女的费用，切实改善加拿大儿童的生活。加拿大儿童福利金（Canada Child Benefit）在 2023-24 年度为每名儿童提供高达 7437 加元 的福利金，该福利金每年与生活费用挂钩，自2016 年推出以来，已帮助 50 多万名儿童摆脱了贫困。

o 在所有省份和地区推行早期学习和儿童保育系统，该系统已将半数以上省份和地区的受监管儿童保育费用削减至平均每天 10 加元或更低，并将所有其他省份和地区的受监管儿童保育费用削减50%或更多。

o 通过 “加拿大牙科福利”（Canada Dental Benefit）改善 12 岁以下儿童获得牙科保健的机会，并很快通过 “加拿大牙科保健计划”（Canadian Dental Care Plan）改善 18 岁以下儿童获得牙科保健的机会。

A National School Food Program to set kids up for success

April 1, 2024

Scarborough, Ontario

Every generation deserves a fair, healthy future – from kids, to parents, to grandparents. It’s why we’re supporting families, one of the many things that we are doing in Budget 2024 to build an economy that helps every generation get ahead.

Children deserve to have the best start in life. But today, nearly one in four children in Canada do not get enough food. That impacts their health and their opportunities to learn and grow. Higher grocery prices are making it hard for parents to afford to put enough good, healthy food on the table. Study after study has shown that when kids eat well, they do better in school. And when kids do well, that sets them up for success. Everyone deserves a fair shot at success, and we believe that fairness means we support each other at every stage of life – and that starts from childhood.

That’s why we’ve made generational investments like the Canada Child Benefit, which provides families with up to nearly $8,000 per child, per year, to provide the essentials their kids need. And since 2015, 650,000 children have been lifted out of poverty, meaning Canada’s child poverty rate has fallen by more than half.

And when it comes to helping kids, especially vulnerable kids, we’re going to keep going.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced a new National School Food Program. With an investment of $1 billion over five years, the Program, included in Budget 2024, will launch with a target of providing meals to 400,000 more kids every year, beyond those served by existing school food programs. For moms and dads, it will mean the peace of mind that your kids are taken care of and do not go hungry. For kids, it will mean healthy meals – helping them learn, grow, and reach their full potential. This is a generational investment in the future of our kids, and we’re going to work with provinces and territories and Indigenous partners to ensure every child has the food they need.

The Program will be a safety net for the kids who need this support the most. The lack of access to food disproportionately impacts children from lower-income families and from racialized and Indigenous communities. With this program, we’re getting healthy food on the plates of growing kids.

This includes investments for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities as well as Self-Governing and Modern Treaty partners, many of whom have some of the highest rates of food insecurity in Canada. Investments will also support capacity building and engagement with Indigenous partners to co-develop culturally appropriate solutions. These partnerships will aim to tackle food insecurity by advancing Indigenous-led solutions and will further our work on reconciliation.

The new National School Food Program will also help provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners expand their existing school food programs to make sure more children across the country can enjoy the healthy meals they need. The Program is good for parents and kids, and it’s good for the economy as well. It will help take pressure off of families and invest directly in the future of our kids, while improving children’s health, education, and well-being.

Last week, we announced measures to protect renters and create more affordable child care spaces. This is on top of our actions to improve health care and dental care, strengthen pensions, and increase access to medications – making sure that, no matter your background or income, you have what you need to be healthy. We all depend on Canada’s future success. And Canada’s success depends on the youngest generations being healthy, doing well, and being set up to succeed.

Quotes

“The National School Food Program is a game changer. The Program will take pressure off of families, invest directly in the future of our kids, and make sure they’re able to reach their full potential – feeling healthy and happy. This is about fairness and doing what’s right for our kids to get the best start in life.”

The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada “Since 2015, we’ve reduced child poverty from 16.3 per cent to just 6.4 per cent in 2021 – lifting 650,000 kids out of poverty. Today, the rising price of groceries is making it tough for families, especially Millennial parents, to afford the food their kids need. To make sure every kid gets their fair chance at a great start in life, we’re launching a $1 billion National School Food Program to help another 400,000 kids get the food they need to thrive.”

The Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance “We’re creating a National School Food Program because kids learn better on a full stomach. This Program will have an incredible impact, supporting parents with the higher cost of groceries, and giving children every opportunity to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.”

The Hon. Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada’s Budget 2024 will be tabled in the House of Commons by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

• In recent days, the Prime Minister announced new action in advance of Budget 2024 to ensure fairness for every generation. Budget 2024 will:

o Restore generational fairness for renters, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, by taking new action to protect renters’ rights and unlock pathways for them to become homeowners.

o Save money for more families and help more moms return to their careers by building more affordable child care spaces and providing training to early childhood educators across Canada.

• Nearly one in four children do not get enough food, and that has a real impact on their opportunities to learn and grow. According to studies, students who consistently consumed a nutritious breakfast attained higher grades in reading, math, and science compared to their peers who seldom or never did.

• Evidence shows that school meal programs act as social equalizers. They are also part of a comprehensive approach to equity and support for children and their families. Their benefits include:

o reducing hunger, food insecurity, and health inequities;

o supporting students’ attendance, academic outcomes, and achievement; o supporting families by reducing food costs and the time required to prepare school lunches; and,

o supporting local farmers, local economies, as well as sustainable food systems and practices.

• To give every child the best start in life, the federal government is also:

o 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 $7,437 per child in 2023-24, is indexed annually to keep up with the cost of living and has helped lift more than half a million children out of poverty since its launch in 2016.

o Delivering an early learning and child care system across all provinces and territories, 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.

o Improving access to dental health care for children under the age of 12 through the Canada Dental Benefit, and soon 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.