Ottawa is going to spend $1 billion over the next five years to establish a national school lunch program.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the pre-budget announcement this afternoon in Toronto.

The program is expected to provide healthy lunches to an additional 400,000 school-aged children across Canada every year.

Canada is the only G7 country without such a program, and has been long advocated for by charities and the federal New Democrats.

Trudeau says the program will allow kids to learn and grow better as they won’t have to go to school on an empty stomach.

Ottawa will be working with provinces, territories, and indigenous groups to roll out the program.