Thank you, Mr. Easter, and thank you, committee, for the invitation to appear today.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada represents over 200,000 workers, and 150,000 of those workers work in the federal public service and in federal agencies.
We also represent 40,000 members in the post-secondary education sector; some of these members would be eligible for the new Canada student service grant. We certainly understand the need for a program to assist students; however, this program and the process to establish it are seriously flawed.
The COVID-19 pandemic shut down most of the economy in March. Reopening the economy has been cautious, as it should be. However, this has had a serious impact on potential earnings for young people who are either on the verge of starting their post-secondary education or have recently graduated. The goal of the Canada student service grant program is to provide them with earning opportunities.
While the program was announced on April 22, the announcement that WE Charity would be given the contract to administer it was not made until June 25. It appears that WE Charity was advised two weeks earlier that it would receive the contract. The Prime Minister has claimed that bureaucrats had determined that WE Charity was the only feasible option to deliver the student grant program.
Subsequent events have raised questions about—