Canadian churches and ministry organizations from coast to coast have been grappling since Christmas with new requirements for employers applying for grants from the Canada Summer Jobs program. The EFC has heard from over 200 ministries and churches whose programs and services to their communities will be diminished this summer if they cannot hire students using the grants they typically receive.
“Having students means we can run a summer sports camp for area kids. The new requirements mean we will be ineligible for the summer jobs program in the future,” said one central Ontario church. A church in western Canada assigns students to work in low-income housing, maintaining the grounds and running children’s programs at no cost to the community. Their community greatly benefited from the cost-free healthy programming offered by the students. “The requirement from the government to endorse its values will not allow us to apply for summer student grants this year,” said representatives from the church.
To be eligible to receive the grant, employers were required to attest that both the job and the organization’s core mandate respected certain “values” as determined by the federal government. Specifically the guidelines mentioned “individual human rights in Canada, including the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as other rights. These include reproductive rights and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.”
As of the printing date of this Canada Watch, the government has not budged on these requirements, and Christian organizations were still trying to determine the best way to respond, even as the deadline to apply for the summer grants rapidly approached. “At this point any modifications made to the application or the failure to attest at all – those applications are not being submitted,” said a program officer for the Ontario region, in response to questions put forward by the EFC. “If you can’t check off to the actual attestation, it is not being accepted.”
The EFC encouraged organizations to let their local MP know how the changes would affect them and still apply for the grant, so that their application and its subsequent rejection by the government could be documented. “But if they cannot agree with the government’s attestation they would simply not be eligible,” confirmed Julia Beazley, the EFC’s director of public policy.
The EFC wrote a letter to the Hon. Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, saying, in part: “We believe the new Canada Summer Jobs grant guidelines violate the fundamental Charter of Rights and Freedom guarantees of freedom of conscience and religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression. Further, it is a form of compelled speech by the government and, as such, is contrary to the guaranteed freedoms in section 2 a and b of the Charter.”
The EFC joined more than 90 religious leaders who signed an interfaith statement calling on the Government of Canada to “amend the Canada Summer Jobs guidelines and application process so that it does not compel agreement or belief, and allows religious organizations to stay true to their communal identity and beliefs.
A webinar, held on Jan. 25, presented the latest developments and options available as of that date to the Canadian Christian community. It can be viewed online at www.The EFC.ca/webinars.
Even as the date to apply has passed (it was Feb. 2), the EFC continues to consult with affected organizations and other Christian interfaith groups on the impact of this change to our religious freedom. We will continue to explore options to challenge the attestation.
What you can do
- Even though the deadline to apply for these grants has passed, this issue is still relevant and ongoing. Call or email your Member of Parliament to express your concern, and ask them to seek changes to the policy in the future. If your organization is directly affected by this policy, let your MP and the EFC know (feedback@TheEFC.ca).
- Visit www.TheEFC.ca/SummerJobsGrants for a full list of resources, including a webinar recorded in late January featuring the Canadian Council of Christian Charities.
Also in this issue: Young Adult Transition Research will help churches strengthen the faith of the next generations; Updating you on Canada’s most immediate issues; Message from the president; EFC podcasts and webinars are all about connecting and informing; And more.