Canadian Catholic News
OTTAWA—Faith groups are rallying members to urge their MPs to support a Conservative motion that calls for removal of the attestation requirement for the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program.

The motion put forward by MP Karen Vecchio will be voted on Monday, March 19, when MPs return from a two-week break in their ridings.

The motion reads: “That, in the opinion of the House, organizations that engage in non-political non-activist work, such as feeding the homeless, helping refugees, and giving kids an opportunity to go to camp, should be able to access Canada Summer Jobs funding regardless of their private convictions and regardless of whether or not they choose to sign the application attestation.”

“I think frankly it’s outrageous that the government would start linking summer job placement money to a particular ideological issue,” said Archbishop J. Michael Miller of Vancouver in an interview. “It has no place and it has no relevance.”

The government is insisting on support for its “ideology of gender” and abortion, he said. “We’re still free in Canada. There’s no law on abortion and the notion that it’s guaranteed by the charter is nonsense. I think it’s a huge overreach.”

Archbishop Miller said only about three organizations in his diocese, including one that worked with refugees, had availed themselves of the program. “None of them were applying this year, given the restrictions,” he said.

But some dioceses will see hundreds of jobs affected, and programs such as summer camps for disadvantaged children, outreach to youth, aid to refugees, and assistance to the homeless put at risk. In the Archdiocese of Toronto, parishes face a shortfall of $500,000 to $600,000 for programs that the CSJ has funded. The London diocese launched a fundraising campaign to replace lost funding estimated at about $35,000.

The Canada Summer Jobs program funded many Christian groups in B.C. last year, including six linked to the Archdiocese of Vancouver: Signal Hill, Catholic Voices (North Vancouver), Alpha Canada, Covenant House, Corpus Christi College, and St. Mark's College.

The president of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec, Bishop Noel Simard of Valleyfield, said the attestation came up at their recent plenary.

“We kept our position,” he said in an interview. “We cannot sign the attestation or agree with what they are asking for.”

Bishop Simard said he hoped MPs would support the motion in the face of such “great opposition to this [attestation] across Canada” and that the government would amend the policy.

“Many summer jobs like guides in churches will be jeopardized,” Bishop Simard said.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops circulated a document with links to what various dioceses across Canada are doing on the issue and to news coverage of the issue.

The Archdiocese of Toronto on its website offers five sample letters to guide emails or letters to MPs.

“I would respectfully ask that you and members of your party uphold the Charter guarantees of freedom of religion, belief, expression and opinion,” says one of the letters. “These are fundamental freedoms for our country.”

ARPA, the Alliance for Reformed Political Action, is urging supporters to write or call their MPs. At its website it offerssuggestions, plus a way to easily email one’s MP.

“In short, what’s at stake is the freedom for Christian charities to minister to their communities without violating their principles and without losing charitable status,” says ARPA Canada. “But you can help stand for truth and justice.”

The Canadian Council of Christian Charities is also urging its organizations and supporters to contact MPs in advance of the March 19 vote. 

“The result will directly impact the lives of students and public benefit programs that charities, non-profits and small businesses have been unable to carry out thanks to the attestation requirement,” wrote the CCCC’s director of legal affairs Barry Bussey on the CCCC website.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada is also rallying its affiliates and members to contact their MPs via its website. It also offers sample letters, plus links to a petition against the CSJ attestation.

“This motion will not require the government to change the policy, but it brings critical attention to our concerns and will further help shape the public and political debate on the issue,” the EFC says. “If the motion is passed, it will communicate to the government that the policy should be changed for next year.”

If political persuasion fails, the next recourse is the courts. One pro-life group launched a lawsuit Jan. 4, but the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms will soon file another on behalf of a client that is not a pro-life organization.