An Open Letter Supporting Recent Changes to the Canada Summer Jobs program

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, Ms. May, Ms. Ouellet, Mr. Scheer, and Mr. Singh,

The undersigned organizations wholeheartedly support the recent changes made to the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program, which seek to secure greater fulfillment of human rights in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.[1] We call on all political parties in Canada to do the same.

These changes align with Canada’s existing domestic and international human rights obligations, including to guarantee the right to security of the person, equality rights, the right to be free from discrimination (including discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression) and the right to access accurate, scientific and non-judgemental health information (including information related to safe abortion care).

Significant misinformation has been widely circulated in the media about the nature of the attestation that is now required by organizations that wish to apply for federal government grants for student jobs through the CSJ program. We are confident that the safeguards introduced to the CSJ program are not discriminatory, and do not represent any infringement on freedom of religion, conscience, or any other rights that people in Canada enjoy. The attestation does not force any organization or institutions to, for example, engage in work to promote access to abortion or perform same-sex marriage if they do not wish to do so. Nor does it require any individual employee in any organization to change their religious beliefs. These new safeguards are designed to ensure that federal grant monies are not used to fund discriminatory activities that undermine human rights, including as they relate to bodily autonomy, sexuality, gender identity and expression.

Federal government grants should not be used to undermine human rights, including the legal right to safe abortion (an essential medical procedure), which has long been recognized in Canada.[2]  Indeed, no government funding should be made available to any organization or for any activities that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or are meant to undermine women’s rights, equality rights or any other human rights.  In regards to abortion, which has dominated conversation regarding recent changes to the CSJ, groups that oppose the right to access safe abortion services[3] should not receive federal grants to create or disseminate misleading information, or support activities, centres, networks or facilities that work to restrict, control, or manipulate information people receive about abortion.

The provision of accurate, non-discriminatory, non-biased, scientific and evidence-based information on sexual and reproductive health is part of the right to sexual and reproductive health and rights as defined in international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In upholding this right, States must “refrain from censoring, withholding or intentionally misrepresenting health-related information…”[4] In addressing violations of this right, Canada, like all States, must take active steps to address barriers in access to sexual and reproductive health information that include biased counselling and the dissemination of misinformation.

The Government of Canada has a responsibility to ensure that its policies, programs and budgets respect, protect and fulfil human rights. There is, therefore, no justification for federal grant monies to be made available for any organizations or activities that undermine any human rights.

The changes made to the CSJ program are grounded in respect for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canada’s obligations under international human rights law. We welcome the steps taken to ensure that the rights of all people in Canada are protected and call on all political parties to support these changes.

The letter is open to sign-on from organizations across Canada (not individuals). If you are a Canadian organizations interested in signing the letter, please click here »

ORGANIZATIONAL SIGNATORIES

1. Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
2. National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL)
3. Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
4. Catholics for Choice Canada
5. Oxfam Canada
6. Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
7. Fédération du Québec pour le Planning des Naissance (FQPN)
8. Women’s Legal Education & Action Fund (LEAF)
9. CATIE
10. Alberta Society for the Promotion of Sexual Health
11. Egale Canada Human Rights Trust
12. YWCA Canada
13. Canadian Health Coalition
14. Trans Health Information Ottawa
15. Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
16. CARE Canada
17. National Abortion Federation (NAF) Canada
18. Thunder Bay Emergency Shelter House
19. Women’s Network PEI
20. Canadian Federation of Students
21. SHORE Centre
22. Abortion Support Services Atlantic
23. HN Pro-Choice Coalition
24. The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity
25. Women’s Wellness Within: An Organization Serving Criminalized Women
26. Ten Oaks Project
27. Pro-Choice Peterborough
28. Media Action Media
29. Well Woman Counselling
30. Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada
31. Women’s Human Rights Education Institute
32. Alberta Pro-Choice Coalition
33. Options for Sexual Health
34. The Network of Black Business & Professional Women
35. Humanists, Atheists & Agnostics of Manitoba
36. Women and Gender Studies Department, University of Regina
37. Sexual Health Lunenburg County
38. Planned Parenthood Ottawa
39. Abortion Access Now PEI
40. PEI Abortion Rights Network
41. Women’s Shelters Canada
42. PEERS Alliance
43. South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario
44. Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
45. Ubuntu Ottawa
46. Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development (ICAD)
47. International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)
48. Positive Living North
49. San Patten and Associates, Inc.
50. Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change
51. Social Rights Advocacy Centre
52. HIV North Society
53. Canadian Arab Federation
54. Peel HIV/AIDS Network
55. Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW)
56. Saskatoon Sexual Health
57. Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
58. Health Initiative for Men (HIM)
59. Ottawa Victim Services
60. Society of Edmonton Atheists
61. Kind Space
62. Canadian Federation of University Women
63. HIV / AIDS Legal Network
64. Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre (ORCC)
65. Women of Halton Action Movement
66. Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women
67. Canadian Positive People Network
68. Women’s College Hospital
69. Inter Pares
70. Sexuality Education Resource Centre (SERC)
71. Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW)
72. Canadian Women’s Foundation
73. University of Ottawa Centre for Health Law Policy & Ethics
74. Planned Parenthood Toronto
75. Nelson House Ottawa-Carleton
76. Oasis Centre des Femmes
77. The Gender and Sexuality Resource Centre, Carleton University
78. Sheet Harbour Sexual Health Centre
79. Friends of Medicare (Alberta)
80. Informed Choice Coalition
81. Mothers of Change of the National Capital Region
82. Calgary Sexual Health Centre
83. WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre
84. Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS)
85. The AIDS Committee of Durham Region
86. BullyingCanada Inc.
87. Canadian Syrian Cultural Club
88. Arabic Cultural Club of Ontario
89. LGBT Youth Line
90. S.O.S. Grossesse
91. Réseau des Lesbiennes du Québec (RLQ)

MEDIA CONTACT
Ani Colekessian
613-241-4474 ext 7
ani@actioncanadashr.org

[1] https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/funding/canada-summer-jobs/supplementary-information.html

[2] The right to safe abortion care is legally protected in Canada. The 1988 Supreme Court of Canada decision R. v. Morgentaler, found that the existing legislation surrounding the regulation of abortion in Canada violated section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by infringing upon a woman’s right to security of the person. Hearing arguments using section 15 (equality) of the Charter in 1989, the SCC determined that the only individual that could make the choice of terminating a pregnancy was the woman in question and that no other individual had a legal say in a woman’s choice to either carry a pregnancy to completion or to have an abortion, further enshrining reproductive rights within the Canadian legal context.

[3] https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/CPC-study/list-anti-choice-groups.pdf

[4] UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment 14 on the right to health, 2000.