The world didn't look the way it looks today when the first intake happened for Canada summer jobs back in January. Employers expressed interest in having young people work for them, and now they may or may not be able to offer that experience. Some employers didn't ask for young people who could really benefit them now, whether it be pop-up groups that are providing essential services in communities or organizations that asked for one person but really need two.
We tried to amend the Canada summer jobs program to respond to the reality on the ground for communities. We changed some of the criteria. For example, before private and public sector jobs were supported at 50% of the salary; now they are supported at 100%, as they were for non-profits. We are allowing part-time work whereas before it was full-time. We have extended the period during which students can work. It was until the end of summer; now it's until the end of next February.
We've done a number of things to help communities and give employers flexibility, and also to give MPs a chance to help us understand what's going on in their communities.