CASA strongly disagrees that the current student career placement program does not deliver value for money. While some funding does go towards private businesses, it generally creates jobs that otherwise would not have existed. The program is beneficial, even in prosperous areas such as Calgary, to use an example that the minister brought up in the House.
Non-profit organizations must compete for workers and pay competitive wages on restricted budgets. The program helps these groups hire summer students that they otherwise could not hire. Even in Calgary, it can be difficult for students to find summer employment, especially jobs that provide them with valuable career skills.
If the government goes ahead with these cuts, there will be several consequences. It will surely mean fewer jobs for students. Even with a more targeted approach, cutting the funding in half will mean half as many jobs. This will mean higher unemployment for students who will have a harder time financing their education. More importantly, these students will be missing out on valuable career experience. They will have a disadvantage in starting their careers. Non-profit groups in the communities they serve will suffer. An extra employee for the summer can make a world of difference to community groups. This is important for groups from Toronto to Labrador.
These cuts to human resources and social development come along with the cutting of the youth international internship program and proposed cuts to the Fulbright and Commonwealth scholarships. CASA is deeply concerned that the government is cutting programs that provide Canadian youth with valuable career experience. We would expect the government to place value on employability and career skills, and we hope the government reconsiders these cuts.
Thank you very much for your time.