HUMA Committee Report

Dissenting Report to the

Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities Committee

Report On The Canada Summer Jobs Program

Conservative Party of Canada

April 2, 2024

Introduction 

The Canada Summer Jobs Program continues to serve both employers and young Canadians well by creating an entry-level experience in the workforce, providing the opportunity to develop professional skills, and fostering connections with community groups and organizations. 

However, throughout the course of the study, the committee heard testimony regarding barriers and gaps in the program design that the final report of this committee has not captured. If the Canada Summer Jobs Program is to improve itself, it must take into consideration the design of the application process and the standards by which officials are to be held to ensure excellence in client service delivery. In addition, the report lacks accuracy in outlining the specific complaints filed from faith-based organizations. 

Client Service Impediments

Throughout this committee's study into the Canada Summer Jobs program, witnesses highlighted several inefficiencies that continue to hold back the program and keep it from best serving local organizations. 

From the start, the program's accessibility to employers who must navigate through a complicated application process was repeatedly raised as a yearly challenge they faced. A long application process that lacks face-to-face client service leaves many non-technologically advanced employers confused about the steps they need to take to apply to receive funding from the program. 

The committee heard from Michel Cantin, President of the Club de Tennis Saint-Jérôme, on October 18, 2023, who cited his age and inexperience with technology as making the application process difficult for him. He gave the committee an example of a problem that he ran into:

"If you take too much time, you lose the page and have to start the process over. At times, I've had to rewrite entire job descriptions and all kinds of other information that the bureaucracy requires be included."

Because of a complicated process, Mr. Cantin struggles to submit applications and is not helped by the long wait times he encounters when calling the helpline. 

Employers across the country can benefit by simplifying the application process and making it more accessible. 

The recommendation of the report, however, makes no specific mention of the technological challenges an applicant of an advanced age or disability may face. Any user experience review of the application process should have specific recommendations for accessibility or age challenges. The specific needs of certain applicant groups should not be lost in a general user experience review. 

Clear Service Standards

Another issue that was repeatedly highlighted with the Canada Summer Jobs Program is the lack of clear service standards in responding to issues from confused applicants or relaying updated information on the program in a timely manner. 

On October 16, 2023, the committee heard that while Employment and Social Development Canada tries to respond to inquiries as quickly as possible, it does not have any clear standards in place for response time or timelines to update applicants. 

The lack of these response standards can lead to long unanswered problems that are not resolved in a timely manner. Inquiries can be pushed off or poorly resolved because officials are not held to a clear standard of performance. 

The department also fails to communicate effectively to applicants about changes in funding, the beginning of the application process, and a number of other key elements that employers rely on. On October 18, 2023, the committee heard from Kim Thomas, the President of Neptune Natation Artistique, who cited problems she had with communications:

"Since the program never launches on a specific date, it's very hard to know what to expect. We're always on tenterhooks in early January, wondering whether the launch will be on January 15 or January 30, for example, because we have roughly a month to submit all our applications after the program launches. After that, the time we spend waiting for a response is never the same. We can't be sure we'll get an answer on April 15, for example. Sometimes it comes in early April, other times at the end of April, and that affects how we reserve facilities."

On October 25, 2023, Brent Shepherd, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough, said that because of this lack of communication:

"We put an asterisk on our job posting that says, "if the funding is available". It's pretty tough. We don't like to put them in that position, and we don't like to be in that position, either."

Once applications are submitted, the approval and response time between the program and employers can also be difficult. For example, Karen Beaubier, the Executive Director of the Uptown Rutland Business Association told the committee on October 23,2023, that a failure on the part of Service Canada led to a classification error leading to a change in their funding. This led to confusion and anxiety for the association that the rules were being changed mid-process. 

The report makes no recommendation to ESDC to implement service standards in its review processes or response times. Clients of the Canada Summer Jobs Program will be better served by a clear set of service standards for ESDC officials in terms of expected response times, application availability, and review time. In addition, a clear standard for updating applicants should exist when changes or errors in other parts of government impacting Canada Summer Jobs Program applicants are identified by ESDC. 

Submissions from Faith-Based Organizations.

Paragraph 52 mentions briefs supporting the current attestation and recommendation to the 'strengthen' it. However at least three briefs received by the committee (the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and Luseland Bible Camp) all presented an opposing viewpoint and raised serious concerns around religious freedoms and fairness in the delivery of the program. 

While Paragraph 53 mentions these organizations' submissions in passing, it does not clearly present their concerns surrounding the fairness of the eligibility screening process. These organizations assert that while the attestation included in the 2018 application was removed, applicants from faith-based organizations continue to be subject to additional scrutiny from Service Canada. They raised concerns about potential infringements on Charter-protected religious freedoms while questioning the department's qualifications in evaluating bona fide occupational requirements and adjudicating in matters of human rights.

The absence of their points of view in the report does not fully present the contrast in opinion the committee received in the briefs submitted. 

Conclusion

While many of the recommendations made in this report are worthwhile, officials in charge of the Canada Summer Jobs Program must also take into account the specific barriers too many applicants are finding in both the application and review processes due to poor program design or a lack of clear service standards. They must also take into consideration the specific feedback of faith-based organizations, who serve such an important role in delivering the program across Canada.

If the Canada Summer Jobs Program is to continue in its important role, it must take a more client-centered approach as it ultimately is the program's partner in delivering its essential goals.