Bill C-322

National Framework for a School Food Program Act

An Act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program

This enactment provides for the development of a national framework to establish a school food program to ensure that all children in Canada have access to healthy food.

Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would like to remind hon. members that the taking of a deferred recorded division is scheduled for Wednesday, June 5, on the motion to concur in the 23rd report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

In its 23rd report, the committee requested an extension to consider Bill C‑322, an act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program. However, as the bill has been reported back from committee, a decision on the extension is no longer required.

Therefore, pursuant to Standing Order 94, the order for the recorded division is discharged and Motion No. 58 to concur in the report is withdrawn.

(Motion withdrawn)

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 24th report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in relation to Bill C-322, an act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program.

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Shall the bill carry?

We'll have a recorded vote on the carrying of the bill.

(Bill C-322 agreed to: yeas 6; nays 5)

Shall the chair report the bill to the House?

(Reporting of bill to the House agreed to: yeas 7; nays 4)

It has been my practice, but I need the direction of the committee. Is it agreed that MP Cormier present the report on Bill C-322 to the House that has been adopted by the majority?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Madame Chabot.

As chair, my responsibility is to ensure that the committee proceeds according to procedures outlined by the House of Commons. Based on that, I must rule on all proposed amendments.

Bill C-322 provides for the development of a national framework to establish a school food program. In developing the framework, the minister consulted various stakeholders, including representatives of provincial governments. The bill does not provide for the possibility of a province being exempted from any obligation that may arise out of the implementation of the national framework. As House of Commons Procedure and Practice, third edition—adopted by the House of Commons—states on page 770, “An amendment to a bill that was referred to the committee after second reading is out of order if it is beyond the scope and principle of the bill.”

Therefore, for the above-stated reason, I rule the amendment inadmissible. No debate is allowed, but my ruling can be challenged.

Mrs. Gray.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would like to move the following amendment, that Bill C-322 in clause 3, be amended by adding after line 15 on page 3 the following:

(i) examine the applicability of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act to food and the transportation of food sourced under the school food program and, where applicable, examine ways to exempt them from the application of that Act.

Mr. Chair, this really is about bringing down the price of food. We know that food costs have gone up. There was a very recent Food Banks Canada poverty report card that talked about the price of food and how much more families are paying.

We also heard at a previous study from not-for-profits—it was specifically from food banks, but this would really be for any not-for-profits that are serving food—as to how much their costs have gone up in terms of actually being able to serve the clients they serve.

This is a way of looking to actually bring down the cost of food and to analyze how that could be applied, both for the cost of the food and also for the transportation of the food that is utilized for a program.

Thank you.

[The Chair (Mr. Robert Morrissey (Egmont, Lib.)), Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Good morning, committee members.

Welcome, everyone.

We will begin.

The clerk has advised me that the sound of everybody appearing virtually has been tested and is fine.

We have a quorum, so with that I will call to order meeting number 116 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

I assume you've familiarized yourself with the new technology in the room. Before we begin, I would ask members appearing in the room to respect the translators by doing that. Please don't touch the microphone boom if you do not have to. As well, when you're not using the earpiece, please keep it in the assigned location to prevent feedback and sound popping that can cause hearing damage to the interpreters.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, with members appearing virtually as well as in the room.

You have the option of choosing to participate in the official language of your choice. For those in the room, translation services are available using the headset provided. For those appearing virtually, click on the globe icon at the bottom of your Surface and choose the official language of your choice.

If there's an interruption in translation services, please get my attention by raising your hand in the room. If you're appearing virtually, use the “raise hand” icon. We will suspend while it is being corrected.

Again, I would remind those participating to please direct any questions or inquiries through me, the chair. Wait until I recognize you before proceeding.

Pursuant to the order of reference of December 6, 2023, the committee is commencing its clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-322, an act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program.

In case members have technical questions, we have with us today two officials from the Department of Employment and Social Development: Erin Gillespie, director, social policy directorate; and Hugues Vaillancourt, director general, social policy directorate. I understand that Mr. Vaillancourt has to leave at 9:30 to attend another committee meeting.

We also have with us this morning Mr. Cormier, the sponsor of the bill. He is replacing Mr. Long for today's meeting.

Now we will begin with the formal part of reviewing the bill.

Pursuant to Standing Order 75(1), consideration of clause 1 and of the preamble are postponed until we get to the end.

We'll now go directly into the clause-by-clause.

Shall clause 2 carry?

(Clause 2 agreed to: yeas 7; nays 4)

(On clause 3)

We have an amendment.

Mrs. Gray, do you wish to move the amendment?

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 23rd report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in relation to Bill C-322, an act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program.

The committee has studied the bill and, pursuant to Standing Order 97.1(1), requests a 30-day extension to consider it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Good. Thank you. Nobody else is.

As it relates to Bill C-322, as you know, as chair I've always taken the prerogative to allow the promoter of the bill or motions to present in the House. Since the promoter of this bill is Mr. Cormier, who is not a standing member of the committee, I need the committee to consider, after we do clause-by-clause on Monday, is it the will of the committee that a 30-sitting-day extension be requested to the House to ensure that the report can be presented the week of June 3?

It's a routine proceeding that the committee would have to adopt to allow Mr. Cormier to table it when the committee dispenses of the bill.

Do I have agreement?

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

—that it's the way forward in regard to countering the whole argument against Bill C-322.

I heard the same arguments back in my time at the provincial government when we closed the coal plants. The Conservatives said that it would be disastrous. It was all about children from my perspective, because when we closed the coal plants and we mitigated pollution, we saw a 50% reduction in asthma cases in kids in the GTA.

We're talking about carbon pricing here. We're talking about putting in place a system that reduces pollution by penalizing those who pollute the most. We're putting in place mitigating penalties for those who pollute the most and reducing it by creating an incentive not to pollute. We're talking about children here in Bill C-322.

This is a proposed piece of legislation that I see as a game-changer for this country, and it's a shame that the Conservatives can think of carbon pricing only when it comes to a very simple framework that's being proposed by one of the members.

Mr. Mansfield, you ran 200 times around the school to raise awareness. That was 90 kilometres, I believe. How long did it take you?

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Definitely, I hear from a lot of my constituents, and actually from those who don't live in my riding, too, about just how much the carbon tax is affecting their day-to-day living.

I would note that our party, the Conservatives, has asked the government to remove the gas tax, excise tax and carbon tax from fuel, which would be about 35¢ a litre that Canadians would be able to save for the summer.

It does make a big impact.

On charitable donations, I know that when government—different levels of government; it doesn't matter what level it is—taxes the taxpayer, Canadians actually have less money to spend on themselves and their families for food, extracurricular activities for kids and transportation sometimes to and from work. They also have less time because they feel they have to work more to make their dollar go farther so that they can have more money because the taxman is taking so much. That takes away time that they would have not only with their families, but also time that they may donate to organizations in the communities, whether that's in the schools or with non-profit charitable organizations. That puts a strain on charitable organizations. The charitable organizations then feel they need to rely on government for funding.

I know that this particular piece of legislation that we're discussing today, Bill C-322, really is legislation that would feed the bureaucracy and not actually feed children.

This is another example, I think, of this government and its excessive spending, with zero result, or maybe a little result, but almost none. As has been said today, we know that inflationary spending is already costing Canadians who are having to stretch their dollars farther and farther.

You mentioned, Mr. Nabein, that your organization depends on donations from Canadians, whether that is dollars, time or both.

Have you seen any changes in the levels of donations that your organization has been receiving?

[Brent Mansfield, Elementary School Teacher, Co-Founder of LunchLAB and BC Chapter of Coalition for Healthy School Food, As an Individual]

Mr. Chair, in October, I ran 200 laps—over 92 kilometres—around my elementary school to raise awareness for the need for federal investment in school food, calling on the Government of Canada to invest the $200 million for five years they committed towards a national school food program. Then in November, five weeks later, I ran 200 laps, nearly 30 kilometres, around the lawn of Parliament to once again draw attention to the issue.

It is a real honour to be invited here today. I would like to express my strong support for Bill C-322, which is even more important now than it was when it was first tabled in March 2023 because of the federal government's recent investment of $1 billion over five years in budget 2024.

Bill C-322 would provide a necessary framework for how the federal government can work in partnership with the provinces, territories and indigenous communities to ensure the health and well-being of all Canadian children.

I urge you to support this bill for the sake of Canada's children as well as school communities and the local food economies that would benefit. I know that supporting school food is a non-partisan issue and one that everyone in a school, neighbourhood and community can get behind.

I am an elementary school teacher at a diverse urban elementary school on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples in what is now known as the west end of Vancouver.

As a teacher, I co-founded LunchLAB, an educational lunch program that empowers grades 6 and 7 students to work with the chef in residence to prepare foods for themselves and their peers. LunchLAB makes lunch an important part of the school day for learning, rather than seeing it as an interruption.

I see the power of school programs as a teacher, which gives me the conviction and drive to advocate for all students to be able to benefit. Every week, I see up close how a school food program supports all students to thrive and learn. LunchLAB demonstrates how school food programs can support students to learn food skills, develop food literacy and improve the quality of what they happily eat at school. School food programs are indeed a social equalizer. I can see this clearly when students from diverse backgrounds sit down and share a meal.

As a passionate school food advocate, I've worked closely with the Coalition for Healthy School Food, which includes nearly 450 member organizations and endorsers in every province and territory.

I had the opportunity to be part of the founding meetings of the coalition in Halifax in 2014. Several years later, I was part of the formation of the B.C. chapter of the coalition which, through years of collective advocacy, contributed to the B.C. government investing $214 million over three years in school food programs.

The coalition has been advocating for the development of a universal healthy school food program that is cost-shared with provinces and territories, following key guiding principles based on research and best practices to ensure that school food programs live up to their full potential. These guiding principles are what unites this vast network from coast to coast, which includes non-profit school food providers, national health education and indigenous organizations, school boards, cities, municipal health boards and many others. The guiding principles are outlined in the brief submitted by the Coalition for Healthy School Food, and I encourage you to review that.

We need a national framework that is visionary and reflects the broad guiding principles laid out by the coalition and those reflected in the “What We Heard” report from the national school food policy engagements.

I was pleased to see that Bill C-322 includes ensuring that programs are in line with Canada's food guide. The food guide says that healthy eating is more than the foods we eat, which includes focusing on mindful eating, enjoying food, cooking more often and sharing meals together. School food programs are an opportunity to foster a healthy food environment and promote mental health and well-being.

In terms of the rights and priorities of Canada's indigenous peoples, indigenous communities must play key roles in designing and implementing school food programs in their communities as well as other locations where first nations, Métis or Inuit children comprise a significant portion of the student population.

In terms of fostering local and sustainable food systems, encouraging school food programs to set local and sustainably produced food purchasing targets would create jobs for Canadian farmers and support community economic development.

As a teacher, I stress the importance of promoting food education to support new school food programs to be integrated into the curriculum and to enable food literacy and experiential food skills education. Programs aren't just for students but should be conceived, designed and run with meaningful input from students. School food programs provide many opportunities for student involvement in preparation, serving and clean up, all while developing food skills.

I also support a couple of key recommendations from the coalition on what could strengthen Bill C-322.

We need a commitment to ensure there is no marketing to kids. There need to be safeguards against marketing branded or highly processed foods and beverages to children through school food programs.

We need a commitment to Canada-wide program evaluation for consistent reporting. Collecting and sharing data would help measure progress and support program design and implementation.

Last, we need a commitment to a universal program for all children. Aiming at universality is critical so that, progressively, all children in Canada can have access to this program. This bill has recognized the importance of reducing stigma. Aiming towards a universal program does that. As a teacher, I can see the benefit for all students: the opportunity for students to learn and develop the food skills and food literacy they need to thrive in life, while eating delicious and healthy food at school.

I would like to, once again, stress my strong support for this bill. I encourage you to unanimously support it. I encourage you and all political parties in Parliament to vote to pass Bill C-322 as soon as possible.

Thank you.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Absolutely. They do know that they have a role to play, and they want government to get out of the way so they can do that and fulfill that role to feed Canadians.

I just want to be clear. Bill C-322 does not actually put any food in the bellies of children. What it does do is feed an already bloated bureaucracy. Your government is running the most expensive government in Canadian history, and it's Canadians, unfortunately, who are paying for it, Canadians who cannot afford it and are in such desperation for relief.

In the midst of this affordability crisis, when Canadians are struggling to feed themselves, why would you propose feeding the bureaucracy?

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

First, I would like to apologize to my colleagues that I am not able to be with them in the meeting room today. I am dealing with a particularly difficult situation in my riding in connection with the fishery. I would have liked to be with you, but I decided to stay here with my constituents.

I have the honour of speaking before your committee today on the subject of my Bill C-322, An Act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program.

The objective of this bill is stated clearly in its title: to create a national framework to establish a school food program, to ensure that all children in Canada have access to healthy food. I sincerely believe that this is one of the most important pieces of legislation we will be debating during this parliamentary session.

Too many children in Canada go to bed on an empty stomach or start the school day without a nutritious breakfast that would enable them to concentrate on their schoolwork. Do you have an idea of what it is like to try to follow a lesson or do your schoolwork when you are wracked with hunger that prevents you from thinking about anything else?

Unfortunately, this is the sad reality for far too many children. Studies, including the health behaviour in school-aged children survey, have shown that up to one in five young people reports going to school or to bed hungry, often because there is not enough food at home.

The 2021 first nations food, nutrition and environment study by the Assembly of First Nations, the University of Ottawa and the Université de Montréal found that approximately 50% of first nations households have difficulty putting food on the table. Think of that number, 50%.

Those figures break my heart, but we have an opportunity to do something to remedy this situation: by creating a school food program.

Canada is one of the member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development that does not have a national school food program. We have the power to change that, the power to make sure that fewer children in Canada are hungry and that they have access to healthy food so they have more opportunities to succeed.

The number of children without access to nutritious food in some communities is very disturbing. In my home province of New Brunswick, there is great regional disparity in the number of school breakfast programs, which creates an unacceptable social inequity. Why should some schools have breakfast programs and not others?

We know that students who do not have access to nutritious food are at a significant disadvantage. School meal programs can improve attendance, promote better academic performance, improve health outcomes, and help students achieve their life goals and their full potential.

I want to congratulate all the dedicated volunteers, private sector donors and community organizations that are mobilizing for change. There are many people and organizations sponsoring or supporting school breakfast programs, not just in communities in New Brunswick, but throughout Canada. They cannot do it alone, however, because demand far exceeds supply.

A comprehensive national framework geared at a school food program would make a huge difference. This framework could be a road map for corporations to bring many stakeholders together in pursuit of this common objective. Although many provinces and territories are providing funding for school food programs, they lack the fiscal capacity to ensure that the program reaches every child in need.

We cannot have a program that does not benefit all schools. Every child who needs nutritious food must be able to access it in their school. Bill C-322 has to support the development of a framework that will provide a basis for the discussions to be held all across Canada, be it with provinces, territories, municipalities, first nations, Inuit and Métis, with parents, volunteers, charitable organizations, teachers, students and school administrators, or with experts in the field.

People from the agriculture and agri-food sector will also be involved in developing this framework. We can imagine a program that will not only fully achieve its goal in order to ensure that every child has access to healthy food, but also provide a creative master plan to support farmers and agricultural producers in working toward that goal.

In closing, Mr. Chair, we are not going to achieve the objective of a national school food program overnight. Nonetheless, we will all have mapped out the path to follow in order to get there. We all have an opportunity to make a real improvement in people's lives by adopting this bill and ensuring that every child in Canada has access to healthy food in all regions of the country.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, and I am ready to answer your questions.

[The Chair (Mr. Robert Morrissey (Egmont, Lib.)), Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Good morning, everyone.

Welcome to meeting 114 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

I remind members, please, to avoid feedback from your microphone when you're not using it, keep it in the appropriate area so that the interpreters will not hear sound interruptions, which is harmful to them.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format. Members are appearing virtually as well as here in the committee room.

You have the option of choosing to speak in the official language of your choice. In the room, interpretation is available through the headset. If you're appearing virtually, please click on the globe icon at the bottom of your screen to choose the official language of your choice. If there is an interruption in translation services, please get my attention. We will suspend while it is being corrected.

I remind members to please always direct your questions or comments through me, the chair, and wait until I recognize you by name.

Today, as the committee is aware, pursuant to the order of reference of December 6, 2023, the committee is commencing its study of Bill C-322, an act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program.

I would like to welcome our first witness.

I welcome Mr. Cormier, member for Acadie—Bathurst.

Mr. Cormier, we will begin with your opening remarks. The floor is yours for five minutes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Also, in relation to Bill C-322, the deadline I'm suggesting for submitting amendments ahead of the clause-by-clause meeting scheduled on Thursday, May 30, could perhaps be at noon on Monday, May 27.

Are we in agreement that amendments be submitted for Bill C-322 on Monday, May 27, because we are doing clause-by-clause consideration on May 30?