Funding on the way for summer jobs

May 22, 2007

BRIDGEWATER - South Shore – St. Margaret’s MP Gerald Keddy said today that non-profit groups who were denied funding for the Canada Summer Jobs program will be reassessed in a second round of funding.

Keddy said that non-profit groups that have had summer students in the past will be given priority. Service Canada will be calling the organizations that were rejected and they hope all calls will be complete by Friday.

Upwards of 15 per cent of the funding for the program is held back every year for the second round,” said Keddy. “That money is being made available right now and I anticipate that some additional funds will be found.”

A number of organizations that have hired students every summer were surprised to find that they were denied funding this year because of a new scoring system put in place by Service Canada.

“I am happy to see that the Minister (Monte Solberg) has responded so quickly to my concerns and the concerns of community groups,” said Keddy.

“I will be encouraging the Minister to do a full review of the effects of this policy change address any problems immediately.”

Keddy said the Minister had the right intentions in making changes to the program. He eliminated funding for big business and curtailed political manipulation of funding as was done under the previous Liberal government. The previous government subsidized large companies like Wal-Mart, Ford, Safeway and Bacardi through this program. These groups were not eligible in the first round of funding for Canada Summer Jobs and will not be eligible in the second round.


For more information:

Gerald Keddy MP
South Shore – St. Margaret’s
Tel: 902-527-5655