Friday October 10, 2025 | SAANICH, BC [Posted at 4:25 pm PT | Last update 6:15 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu is on Vancouver Island this weekend, helping to promote Prime Minister Carney’s pre-budget announcement today that funding for the National School Food Program will become permanent in the upcoming federal budget.
The program funds food delivery programs in child care centers and schools. In this most recent year about 400,000 children across Canada have been provided food through the program.
As part of this announcement, Hadju visited and toured the Saanich Neighbourhood Place child care centre today in the Tillicum Road area of Saanich. She was accompanied for the media session by two first-term local Liberal MPs — Secretary of State for Seniors Stephanie McLean (Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke) and Will Greaves (Victoria).
Hadju stressed the importance of dignity and lack of stigma in the delivery of school food programs — meals or snacks are available to all students at a school or child care, regardless of whether a lunch or snack has been brought from home.
What children and teens eat at school can affect their health and wellbeing. Hungry students probably fall short of their learning potential.
The National School Food Program is anticipated to be saving a family with two children up to $800 per year.
Now a permanent program:
In April 2024, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $1 billion over five years for a National School Food Program to expand school food programs across the country.
Today Carney said the program will now be permanent and that work will continue to bring more provinces and territories on board with the program.
Provincial delivery:
The National School Food Program relies on the provinces and territories to deliver the program, working with school districts and local non-profits who actually provide the service.
To date, the federal government has National School Food Program agreements in place with the following provinces and territories for 2024 to 2027: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario. PEI, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Yukon. That leaves just Nova Scotia without an agreement.
In BC, an agreement in March 2025 between the B.C. Government and the Government of Canada was announced on March 7, enabling B.C. to access National School Food Program funds. This funding will complement the province’s Feeding Futures and will provide an additional $39.4 million over three years for B.C. schools and districts to expand and enhance school food programs.
About Saanich Neighourhood Place:
The Saanich Neighbourhood Place child care centre has a mission to nurture families and connect communities.
Their new facility was built during the pandemic with federal funding support.
Children ages 3 to 5 spend time every day in the Saanich Neighbourhood Place treed playground and the adjacent natural forest.
===== RELATED:
- Family-oriented supports in 2025 federal budget preview: tax filing, school food, parks (October 10, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: FOOD SECURITY | FAMILY & SOCIETY | CHILDREN & CHILD CARE