Prime minister promotes school nutrition program at Winnipeg school

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made a stop at a Winnipeg school to promote his government's school nutrition program.

He says the plan would provide meals to 400,000 more children across the country to help them learn.

The cost is estimated at $1 billion over five years.

Trudeau says he will be working with provinces and territories on the plan, and he pointed to the Manitoba government's recent budget measure of $30 million for a school food program.

The federal Opposition Conservatives have said the Liberal government's program would be far from universal and only covers a fraction of the roughly five million children in public schools.

Trudeau says his plan will help families across the country and other measures, such as lower-cost child care, will also help protect people against rising costs.

"Investing in our children is investing in our future," Trudeau said Friday, after meeting with students and teachers at Elwick Community School.

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2024.