Setting the record straight

Re: Are you a loyal Canadian? — Jan. 18

I’m writing in response to Peter Shawn Taylor’s column in which he suggests that faith-based organizations are ineligible for funding through the Government’s Canada Summer Jobs program.

Let me set the record straight — churches, synagogues, mosques, and all religious and faith-based organizations are eligible, welcome, and encouraged to apply for Canada Summer Jobs funding.

Organizations applying for funding are not asked to provide their views, beliefs or values, and these are not taken into consideration during the application for the program.

The federal government is committed to ensuring that summer jobs for young Canadians funded by the Government of Canada respect everyone’s rights, as well as the existing human rights and labour laws to which public, private and not-forprofit organizations are already subject. For this reason, the Canada Summer Jobs funding application process does include an attestation that both the job and the organization’s core mandate respect individual human rights in Canada, including the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The application period for employers to hire a student is open until Feb. 2. I encourage all eligible employers here in Waterloo, Kitchener, and across the country to apply for these funds and help young Canadians gain the work experience they need to succeed. Karina Gould Minister of Democratic Institutions and MP for Burlington