Meals provided to all students: a majority of Quebecers in favor

A majority of Quebecers believe that schools should offer free lunch to all primary and secondary school children, as is the case in several countries around the world. The support of citizens is even more eloquent if we include a voluntary contribution from parents.

In Quebec, the mass production of lunches is part of parents’ daily lives when toddlers reach school age. And, because of the ever-increasing cost of a grocery basket, more and more students are going to class hungry or making do with a poor-quality snack.

However, this is not the case in many places in the world, such as France, Brazil and Finland, as well as in several American states which have opted for free and universal school canteens.

But the idea is gaining ground in La Belle Province. No less than 54% of citizens are in favor of the establishment of a free meal program offered to all young people in primary and secondary schools, reveals a Léger survey carried out on behalf of Québec solidaire.

And membership skyrockets when we include a voluntary financial contribution from parents, as proposed by Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and his solidarity troops. Two out of three Quebecers (67%) support the initiative, even those who do not have children.

“I am impressed and surprised. Quebecers do not want children to go hungry at school and think that it is a collective responsibility. We think that this is the best compromise to ensure that there are no financial obstacles, but at the same time give the opportunity to parents who have the means to contribute financially to the program,” specifies the parliamentary leader of QS.

Encouraged by this support, he wants to convince the government, François Legault and Bernard Drainville in the lead, that this is the right path to follow.

Currently, a few schools in Quebec have opted for this recipe. Parents are free to donate between zero and seven dollars per day for meals. Some give nothing, others the maximum, but on average, they contribute $3.50 per lunch, points out Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

Profitable for society

His political party calculated the cost of a universal free school lunch program to the state. The precise figures will only be revealed in ten days.

“But I can already tell you that it is a program which will bring in much more in economic benefits than what it will cost in investments. Studies show that for every dollar invested in school food, it generates between three and ten dollars in economic benefits. These are programs that are profitable for society in the medium and long term.

The solidarity emphasizes that a student who is hungry has more difficulty learning and recalls that Quebec is in the lead in terms of school dropouts in Canada. And who says canteen, says local food and vigorous agriculture.

A universal program would also make it possible to be governed by strict rules, as is already the case in CPEs, whose meals provided to toddlers must comply with Canada’s Food Guide. No more multi-purpose cafeterias with hot dogs or pogos on the menu for dinner.

“It’s a way of helping families cope with the rising cost of living,” insists GND. The question is more: “Can we afford not to do it?” I challenge François Legault to make a list of three investments that are most important for the future of Quebec!”

Opinion survey on midday meals for children attending school

That schools offer free lunch to all primary and secondary school children

• Good measure: 54%
• Wrong measurement: 33%
• Don’t know/refusal: 13%

That schools offer, in return for a voluntary contribution from parents, lunch to all primary and secondary school children

• Good measure: 67%
• Wrong measurement: 21%
• Don’t know/refusal: 12%

Source: Léger Omniweb survey carried out from September 27 to 29, 2024, among a representative sample of 1,002 Quebecers aged 18 or over and able to express themselves in French or English. A sample from a web panel is not considered probabilistic. As an indication, the maximum margin of error assumed for a sample of 1002 respondents is ± 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.