Quebec
Quebec has no single unified program name — school food support runs through a Ministère de l'Éducation funding measure, delivered mainly through the non-profits La Cantine pour tous (lunch) and Club des petits déjeuners (breakfast).
Official program
Aide alimentaire en milieu scolaire (Measure 15012) — via La Cantine pour tous & Club des petits déjeuners
Direct provincial funding under Measure 15012 targets public schools ranked in the most disadvantaged tier of Quebec's Socioeconomic Environment Index — a targeted, not universal, approach. La Cantine dans les écoles, by contrast, runs a universal, anonymous, sliding-scale model open to any family at a participating school (minimum $1, suggested $6, no income test), subsidizing the rest itself.
How it works
Enrollment in the government-funded, means-tested school programs is voluntary — parents enroll their child directly with the school. For La Cantine dans les écoles, interested schools or parents submit an interest form to the organization directly, with no minimum order required. As of the most recent data, 2,067 of 2,429 public schools (about 85%) participated in some form of food assistance, reaching roughly two-thirds of Quebec's students.
Quebec's total investment in school food assistance was cited at roughly $65.1 million (2024-25 data): $44.1M for the direct Aide alimentaire measure, $15M to Club des petits déjeuners, $5.4M to La Cantine pour tous, and $0.6M to Cree and Kativik school boards. A federal asymmetrical agreement (announced March 2025, respecting Quebec's jurisdiction) adds about $65.2 million over three years, plus a further $9.3 million over two years announced January 2026 specifically for La Cantine pour tous.
Benefits for kids
Quebec public health and education sources frame school food access as directly linked to learning readiness and academic success. La Cantine pour tous, a major delivery partner, designs its non-stigmatizing, income-blind payment model specifically to let all children "learn on a full stomach" regardless of family income — though this claim traces to the delivery organization rather than an independent peer-reviewed Quebec study.
Local facts
- Quebec youth food insecurity rose sharply, from 19.5% in 2022 to 27.5% in 2023 — a 41% increase in one year. (Source: Statistique Québec / Statistics Canada data)
- In Montreal specifically, families with children make up 56% of households seeking food assistance, compared to 48% province-wide. (Source: Observatoire des tout-petits)