C-322 – National Framework for a School Food Program Act – would establish a national framework for a school food program.
To establish this program the Minister of Employment and Social Development would need to consult with relevant parties, such as the Minister of Health, provincial representatives responsible for health and education, etc. The framework would include, among other things:
- Criteria to determine if a food is healthy, taking into account Canada’s Food Guide
- Indicate which meals and snacks would be required to be offered in schools under the program (though more could be offered if the school wants to)
- Take into account the different circumstances children live in, including cultural diversity and dietary requirements
- Take into account the rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis
- Provide for measures to avoid stigmatizing children that use the program
- Provide for measures to support the use of local and sustainable food systems
- Take into account existing local initiatives and infrastructure, build on existing school food programs, and use best practices from other jurisdictions
- Promote evidence-based healthy food education in schools
The Minister will have one year to prepare the framework and present it to the House. It will be reviewed five years after that.
Progress
C-322 went up for its Second Reading vote and passed with 204 voting in favour and 110 voting against.
| Party | For | Against | Paired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | 150 | 0 | 7 |
| Conservative | 0 | 110 | 3 |
| Bloc Quebecois | 28 | 0 | 4 |
| NDP | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Green | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The Conservatives voted against C-322 on the grounds that education falls under Provincial jurisdiction, and they would rather see the Carbon Tax removed. (Worth noting that there was a lot of bickering here as the Bloc and NDP repeatedly interrupted to call out that the Conservatives were talking about the Carbon Tax and not C-322, and the Deputy Speaker kept giving them time to show how the Carbon Tax was relevant.)
C-322 was sent to committee for review and came back unchanged. The House accepted this and it is now up for its Third Reading vote. If you have opinions on this, either in support or against, this is your last chance to contact your MP and let them know!
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