N.B. Liberals promise universal school food program if elected

Liberal Leader Susan Holt speaks with reporters after the provincial budget was delivered in the Legislature in Fredericton on Tuesday March 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hina Alam

The New Brunswick Liberal Party is promising a universal school program if they’re elected this fall, but the governing Progressive Conservatives say the plan is unworkable.

According to a news release from the Liberals, the party’s proposed program would provide free breakfasts and pay-what-you-can lunches for all students. The Liberals would spend $27.4 million on the project per year.

“With regular, nutritious meals, students have the energy they need to attend classes, concentrate more, and absorb more knowledge, which will help us improve literacy and learning in general,” said Liberal leader Susan Holt in the release. “By ensuring that every child is ready to learn, we will be able to reduce absenteeism, close achievement gaps and create a brighter future for all.”

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Bill Hogan, minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, said the plan “ultimately won’t help families.”

“Several schools have attempted ‘pay-what-you-can’ meal programs, and very few of them can survive, because they don't have a dependable budget,” Hogan said in an email. “If no one can afford to pay, then you run out of money to feed students by Christmas.”

Hogan noted the Progressive Conservative government hopes to expand school food programs “in a fiscally responsible manner” with new federal funding.

David Coon, leader of the Green Party, said his group will work with schools and non-profit organizations to implement a free universal breakfast and lunch program.

“The latest statistics indicate that 30,000 children and youth are living in poverty in New Brunswick,” Coon said in an email. “ Good nutrition and regular meals reduce the illness and disease that otherwise comes with hunger and poor nutrition, reducing health care costs in the long-term.

“To pay for this program, and others, Greens will end the free lunch for large profitable corporations operating in New Brunswick and require them to pay their own way.” 

This article has been updated to include comments from the Progressive Conservative and Green parties.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.