The Canada Summer Jobs program is currently undergoing a performance review by the Office of the Auditor General and the findings are scheduled to be reported by year’s end, according to a federal government memo.
It is the first audit since those administering the government program were accused of discrimination by Christian employers applying for Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) grants.
“This audit seeks to determine whether Employment and Social Development Canada provided wage subsidies to qualified employers that resulted in youth gaining work experience, including those facing barriers,” the Office of the Auditor General said in a post on its website.
The findings from Auditor General Karen Hogan’s office are expected to be published this fall, according to a June 19 Department of Employment briefing note first obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.
The Epoch Times contacted Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault’s office for comment on the audit but did not hear back prior to publication.
The federal government’s CSJ program is an initiative aimed at connecting students looking for work with companies looking to fill summer job openings. Employers who hire full-time summer staff are eligible to receive a 50 percent wage subsidy through the program.
“This summer the government will support at least 70,000 opportunities for youth through Canada Summer Jobs,” the briefing note said, adding that it “helped create” more than 74,000 jobs in 2023.
Legal Challenges
Employment and Social Development Canada, which administers the program, was sued in 2017 after saying employers must support “the right to access safe and legal abortions” to receive the subsidy, regardless of their purpose in hiring students.The Right to Life Association of Toronto launched the lawsuit after 1,559 applicants were denied funding because they refused to sign the oath. The lawsuit was settled out of court.
Following consultations, the government rewrote the oath in 2018 to require that the “core mandate” of the organization applying “must respect individual human rights in Canada.”
The Federal Court in 2021 upheld a complaint by Hamilton Ont.,-based Christian school Redeemer University College, ruling that the government “breached procedural fairness” in its handling of the school’s application, adding that it must treat faith-based institutions in a way that respects their Charter rights.
Redeemer University College said in a 2021 blog post it was denied funding after it was deemed a “high risk” for Christian values, even though it had planned to hire students for charitable work unrelated to Christian teaching.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada has since alleged the Department of Employment continues to deem some faith-based groups ineligible for funding despite the Federal Court ruling, telling MPs on a parliamentary committee that the values screening “has moved behind closed doors.”
The Canadian Centre for Christian Charities (CCCC) also wrote to the Commons human resources committee, citing examples of churches being singled out for questioning unrelated to their reasons for hiring a summer student.
The CCCC raised concern in a November blog post that Ottawa has added new wording to its criteria, which the group alleged amounts to a new category of “ineligible employers” for 2024’s Canada Summer Jobs program.
Employers previously had to swear that “any funding under the Canada Summer Jobs program will not be used to undermine or restrict the exercise of rights legally protected in Canada.”
Employers applying for 2024 funding had to pledge that “neither the job activities nor any of the activities of my organization which are directly or indirectly supported by the job activities in any way infringe, undermine, weaken, or restrict the exercise of rights legally protected in Canada.”
Ottawa described the CSJ program in a July 3 press release as a way to create “generational fairness” for young Canadians by providing opportunities to develop skills and work experience.
The program prioritizes projects supporting youth “who face barriers to employment,” said the release, citing youth with disabilities and racial minorities.
“This program gives thousands of employers the opportunity to meet their staffing needs over the summer, and it gives youth valuable work experience that will set them up for a lifetime of success in the job market. It’s a win-win for employers and for young people across Canada,” said the statement.
