Ottawa gives Food Banks Canada $17.9M for program to provide period products
Women and Gender Equality and Youth Minister Marci Ien arrives at a Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023.(Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
TORONTO -
The federal government has tasked Food Banks Canada with handing out free menstrual products to members of marginalized low-income communities.
Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien announced the pilot program Thursday.
She says the government is injecting $17.9 million into the initiative.
Through the project, Food Banks Canada will distribute free period products to community organizations across Canada.
It is also going to partner with existing organizations that deal in period education to scale up their operations.
The Menstrual Equity project is part of a broader push from the government to reduce the cost of menstruation.
The feds have already launched a program to provide free menstrual products in First Nations schools on reserves, as well as making sure they're offered at federally regulated workplaces.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2023.
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