Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to seek leave for the adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing an important matter requiring urgent consideration pursuant to Standing Order 52.
The issue in question is the 2018 Canada summer jobs application and the new attestation that is required to be signed by applicants in order for their application to be accepted by the standards laid out by the government.
The attestation in question reads:
...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 as well as other rights. These include reproductive rights and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
I have heard from many organizations and individuals from across the country, and more specific at least 40 within Elgin—Middlesex—London. They believe that the specific requirements of this attestation constitute an overreach on behalf of the government. These employers believe they cannot sign such an attestation in good faith due to the implicit requirement that they agree with the government on contentious social issues.
Many groups that still desire the funding that is usually available to them through the Canada summer jobs program have indicated they will fill out an application without signing the attestation or amending it themselves before they sign. Unfortunately, the government has expressed that such modifications are unacceptable, will result in an application being deemed incomplete, and will not even move forward for the consideration of funding.
I am sure you are aware, Mr. Speaker, that section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms identifies, among other things, freedom of conscience, freedom of thought, and freedom of belief as fundamental freedoms. Every government has a duty to uphold these fundamental freedoms and defend the rights of all Canadians, regardless of whether they agree with the specific views held by individuals.
Brian Bird from McGill University wrote:
The idea that certain groups in Canada should not receive public funds is often voiced by individuals who simply reject the views of the group that seeks funding. This attitude fails to recognize that this funding is not a pot of money that the governing political party brought to Ottawa when it assumed power. These funds come from taxes that all Canadians, with our range of views and beliefs, have paid. That these funds might at times be given to groups with which we disagree is part of the price of living in a truly inclusive and diverse society.
The notion that people who disagree with the government on controversial moral issues...must either adopt the government’s view or be excluded is acceptable in totalitarian regimes. It is not acceptable in Canada — a country that strives, in the words of the Charter, to be a “free and democratic society.”
Although the government has issued a set of retroactive definitions in order to attempt to appease groups that feel threatened, this has left many people more confused than reassured. Many of these employers still express a clear objection to the attestation and refuse to sign it, even if they might meet the government's clarified criteria.
For example, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said that it was “seriously concerned”, and that “The attestation and examples still amount to the government’s coercion on matters of conscience and religious belief...“They foreclose the possibility of wide-ranging views and even healthy disagreement. The attestation remains unacceptable.””
The deadline for applications is this Friday, February 2 and, unfortunately because of the attestation, many groups will be excluded from this year's round of funding. These are groups that provide employment opportunities for Canadian youth, offering them life-long, transferrable skills that will improve our workforce over the long term. Additionally, many groups use funding through Canada summer jobs to improve Canadian society as a whole by providing aid to refugees, running day camps for those with disabilities, and encouraging at-risk youth to make good choices. Ultimately, the denial of this funding will be a loss to Canada as a whole.
In light of the concerns I have paired with the fact that the deadline for applications is nearly upon us and the reality that there has been no opportunity for Parliament to debate this issue, which will affect every riding throughout Canada, I believe an emergency debate on the attestation would meet the urgency requirements laid out in the Standing Order.
I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your time and your consideration on this very important issue.