Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Monday that the Canadian government will provide $1 billion over the course of five years to help feed roughly 400,000 Canadian schoolchildren across the country. The initiative will be detailed further in the 2024 federal budget on April 16. The aim is to kick off the program sometime this year or in 2025, Freeland said. Expanding on the announcement, Trudeau said: "We know the need is far greater than anyone is able to meet right now. We're putting $1 billion forward ... to add 400,000 more kids across the country who will have fuller bellies in class, who will be able to go to school and know that they can focus on reading and learning and playing, and not on the grumblings in their bellies." The announcement comes as the federal government’s carbon pricing initiative kicks in and precedes several affordability press conferences across Canada, which will be held by various ministers from the Trudeau cabinet. In addition, April 1 marks an increase for the base pay of members of Parliament from $194,600 a year to $203,100, according to the office of the Speaker of the House of Commons. Trudeau’s salary, too, has increased from $389,200 to $406,200. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/10393141/carbon-price-increase-in-effect/ Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews #Canada #JustinTrudeau