A federal memo reveals that the Canada Summer Jobs program is currently undergoing a performance audit, with findings expected by the end of the year.Blacklock's Reporter says this marks the first audit since allegations surfaced that program managers were withholding subsidies from employers who did not align with the cabinet's political views."The Office of the Auditor General is conducting a performance audit of Canada Summer Jobs," stated a June 19 briefing note from the Department of Employment. "Findings are expected to be published in the fall."The program provides 50% wage subsidies to employers hiring full-time summer staff and is unique in its reliance on application vetting by local MPs. "This summer the government will support at least 70,000 opportunities for youth through Canada Summer Jobs," noted the briefing, adding that in 2023, it helped create over 74,000 jobs.Management of the program has faced legal challenges since 2017 when employers were required to pledge support for "the right to access safe and legal abortions." Christian charities successfully contested this mandate.From 2018, the department began disqualifying employers shown to "promote, foster or actively support intolerance, discrimination or prejudice," as per the Applicant Guide, although these terms were not clearly defined.In 2021, the Federal Court upheld a complaint by Redeemer University College of Hamilton, which had been denied funding due to its website being deemed at "high risk" for Christian values. The college had sought to hire students for ordinary charitable work unrelated to religious teaching.The Evangelical Fellowship, in a 2023 submission to the human resources committee, stated that program managers continued to "flag some faith-based groups' applications for review or deeming them ineligible for Canada Summer Jobs grants" because of their Christian beliefs. "There is little transparency or consistency," the Fellowship noted. "We see that in this process sometimes groups are being flagged because of their beliefs, not their actions."Similarly, the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities reported instances where churches were subjected to extraordinary questioning unrelated to their hiring needs. "For example, churches are asked why assistant ministers or similar ministerial roles need to adhere to a doctrinal statement or statement of beliefs," the Centre wrote."The perception of different treatment for religious charities is not without merit," the Centre added. "This perceived differential treatment is most often experienced by way of follow-up requests that focus almost exclusively on the applicants' religious beliefs."
