Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is receiving flak online for criticizing the federal government’s National Food Program before it had a chance to roll out.
On Sunday, the politician posted a tweet on X claiming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s National Food Program “costs millions but hasn’t fed a single meal.”
Some Canadians were quick to point out that the program is expected to start today and that he should not be jumping to conclusions.
“The program hasn’t fed a single meal because it launches this school year, and the first day of school is…today,” one X user said.
“A program that begins September 3, 2024 would not have fed anyone before then. Make it make sense,” another user said.
“Of course it hasn’t fed anyone. Because it was set to launch for the ‘24/‘25 school year,” another user commented.
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The National School Food Program is part of Budget 2024 and includes an investment of $1 billion over five years to provide meals to up to 400,000 more kids every year, in addition to existing food programs. The program is expected to save families with two kids up to $800 a year in grocery bills.
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Back in July, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Jenna Sudds told Now Toronto that provinces can prepare for implementation as early as the 2024-25 school year.
However, the Conservative Party claims that it has not observed any implementation of the program thus far, nor does it believe kids are getting meals on their first day of school.
During Trudeau’s cabinet retreat in Halifax last month, he said there are still some provinces who have not implemented the program.
“…There’s a number of provinces that are moving forward on it. There are others that are not, and that’s why we’re putting pressure on them right now because as a teacher, as a dad, as a prime minister, I know how important it is to give kids the best start in life,” he said to reporters on Aug. 26.
The Conservatives, however, say Trudeau’s food program is still not enough to help Canadian families.
“After nine years of Justin Trudeau, one in four kids do not get enough to eat, millions of families are forced to rely on food banks, and housing costs have doubled. Everything Trudeau touches has resulted in more chaos, misery, and despair,” Shadow Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Michelle Ferreri told Now Toronto in a statement on Tuesday.
“While Trudeau was creating his food bureaucracy in Ottawa, he simultaneously raised the carbon tax by 23 per cent on parents who already can’t afford to put food on the table after nine years of his disastrous policies,” she continued.
The federal government has not outlined an exact date for when the program will be in effect.
