Good morning, everyone.
My name is Susan Roberts. I'm here to represent Alberta Food Matters, Food Secure Canada and the Coalition for Healthy School Food.
Canada is one of the only members countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development without a national school food program. We're asking for your committee to strongly consider financially supporting a cost-shared universal healthy school food program for all Canadian schools, one that is universal and open to all students.
We are asking you to consider a financial outlay of $360 million to contribute to the total bill of $1.8 billion cost-shared with provinces, municipalities, school districts, schools, non-profits, communities and business. The Alberta government has made an investment of $15.5 million in school food for 2018-19 that has directed these funds to high-needs elementary schools and has not addressed the issue of universality. It's a good first step, however. For more information see the “2018 Nutrition Report Card on Food Environments for Children and Youth”, written by the U of A.
The evidence strongly shows the return on investment of a universal healthy school food program is high. Outcomes include improvement in educational outcomes, increased graduation rates, improved mental health and improved student health. The research shows substantial decreases in the incidences of chronic disease, obesity, heart disease and diabetes. It also shows there's a positive local economic impact. The key elements we seek to see in a national universal healthy school food program in Canada are that it is universal—meaning all students can take part—health promoting, respectful, connected, multi-component and sustainable.
Presenting today is timely because just now, in September 2018, the Canadian Food Studies journal published an article on the case for a healthy school food program across Canada. The citation will be at the bottom of some of the materials you will receive.
Please consider our request for the federal government to cost-share with provinces, municipalities, communities, schools and school districts. A national food program has been recommended also by the Senate's social affairs committee, the Ontario Healthy Kids Panel, a former House finance committee, the former chief public health officer, and a motion by Senator Art Eggleton, motion 358, which recommends federal funding for a national school food program.
With so many benefits, health, social, economic, as well as mental health outcomes for our universal school food program in Canada, everybody wins, but especially our children. I really look forward to the support that you might give this idea across Canada. It's been fun to work with all these organizations across Canada. There are over 120 organizations that are part of this movement, so I would hope you would support it in some way.
Thank you very much for your time this morning, and welcome to Alberta. Go Oilers. They won last night in overtime, 5-4. I'm just saying.