Quebec backs school meal programs across income levels
Survey shows 88% support government-funded lunches in elementary schools ahead of October election.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Quebec residents overwhelmingly back government-funded school meals, with 88 per cent of survey respondents saying it's important to ensure all children have access to healthy lunches in elementary school.
The support cuts across demographics. Even among those without children in school, 85 per cent back a model where parents pay what they can afford — the approach used by La Cantine pour tous. Another 60 per cent favour income-based contributions, while just 21 per cent prefer universal free meals and 14 per cent want a flat fee.
"The level of support for the school lunch program is high across all segments of the population," said Vincent Bouchard, vice president of marketing at SOM, the firm that conducted the survey of 1,060 respondents.
The timing matters. About 28 per cent of Quebec children lived in food-insecure households in 2023, and the number is climbing — up from 14 per cent in 2018 to 19 per cent in 2023, according to Statistics Canada.
Thibaud Liné, executive director of La Cantine pour tous, is pushing all political parties to commit to funding school meals in disadvantaged schools — roughly 890 schools province-wide — within five years. "Rarely do we see such strong support for a social measure," said Benoist De Peyrelongue, chair of the board at La Cantine pour tous. "Decision-makers now have a clear signal to take action."
The survey was unveiled last week in Montreal at a pan-Canadian summit on school meals.