Mr. Speaker, yesterday was World Food Day, a time to reflect on the needs of Canadians. One in five children lives below the poverty line, which may lead to poor nutritional status and poor child health outcomes.
Fortunately, school nutrition programs are highly effective in providing children with nutritious diets, better cognitive abilities and health. Unfortunately, Canada is one of the few developed countries without a national nutrition program.
Outside North America school meals are viewed as an investment, rather than a cost, improving student nutrition, health and social development, and feeding regional economic development.
In Brazil, food is a constitutional right. A massive program feeds 47 million students at 190,000 schools each day.
If a national school meals program could be implemented in Canada's high schools at a cost of $1.25 per meal, with a goal of increasing graduation rates by 3%, the payback would be more than $500 million.