Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Winnipeg to promote the National School Food Program

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped by a Winnipeg school to promote his government's school meal program.

He said the plan would provide food to another 400,000 children across the country to help them study.

The cost is estimated at $1 billion over five years.

Trudeau said he would work with the provinces and territories on the plan, and he pointed to the Manitoba government's recent $30 million budget measure for the school food program.

The federal opposition Conservatives said the Liberal government's program would not be universal and would cover only a fraction of the roughly five million children in public schools.

Trudeau says his plan will help families across the country and that other measures, such as affordable child care, will also help protect people from rising costs.

“An investment in our children is an investment in our future,” Trudeau said after meeting with students and teachers at Elwick Community School on Friday.

This Canadian Press report was first published on May 17, 2024.