Thank you very much, Chair.
It's really great to be here, and obviously accompanied by the incredible team here with me.
Since 2015, the Government of Canada has been focused on making life affordable.
The national school food program, the Canada-wide early learning and child care plan and the Canada child benefit are three incredible examples of programs designed to support Canadians.
Many Canadians identify food costs as a significant challenge.
Food insecurity in Canada is high, especially among indigenous, Black and other racialized children, as well as those living in immigrant, lone-parent and low-income households.
The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that children and youth receive the best possible start in life. School food programs can boost our children's health and can help them reach their full potential. So far, four provinces have signed on to the national school food program, and more are expected soon. It helps families with two children in school save up to $800 in groceries annually.
In regard to child care, eight provinces and territories are delivering for $10-a-day or less regulated child care. All other jurisdictions have reduced parent fees by at least 50%. For some families, this means savings of up to $14,000 per child, per year.
Provinces and territories have announced measures to create over 125,000 new child care spaces, representing half of the 250,000 regulated spaces that we aim to have created by March 2026. This milestone means that we are well on our way to reaching that goal, ensuring that families across the country have access to affordable, high-quality child care.
The child care expansion loan program from budget 2024 will enable more spaces to be built in the not-for-profit and public sectors. Additionally, the early learning and child care infrastructure agreements will support provinces and territories to build more inclusive child care spaces across the country.
Budget 2024 also proposed $10 million to train more early childhood educators and student loan forgiveness for those working in rural and remote communities.
We're also helping families afford essentials with the Canada child benefit, which recently marked its eighth anniversary. This tax-free benefit is given to 3.5 million low- to middle-income families. It gives them more money to help pay for food, clothing and whatever their family requires. Most families receiving the maximum Canada child benefit amounts are single-parent families, with approximately 80% being single moms. This is making a real difference. There are approximately 380,000 fewer children living in poverty than in 2015, a 39% decrease.
In closing, we've made some great progress, some important progress, but we remain committed to future investments that support families, which are truly the foundation of Canada's future.
I look forward to your questions here today. Thank you very much.