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MP’s Report: Canada Summer Jobs deadline looms and recognition for veterans

Kelowna-Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr says deadline for Canada Summer Jobs program is approaching
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Kelowna-Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr. Image: contributed

The deadline for this year’s Canada Summer Jobs program is fast approaching.

Local employers who are considering using the program have until Jan. 25 to apply.

Following feedback from stakeholders last year, the federal government has also made the process easier and everything can now be submitted online through the government’s grants and contributions online service. Employers can complete the application at their leisure and track its status once it has been submitted.

The government has also expanded eligibility to include all youths between the ages of 15 and 30 who are legally entitled to work in Canada, not just students. It has also updated the eligibility criteria to set out more clearly what is and isn’t eligible for funding and ensures better job matching, by posting all positions on jobbank.gc.ca. There is an app to help match young people with employers.

CSJ funding is available for not-for-profit organizations and public and private sector employers with 50 or fewer employees.

Non-profit organizations can receive up to 100 percent of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage, as well as employment-related costs, while public-sector employers and small businesses can receive up to 50 percent of the provincial/territorial minimum hourly wage.

In the last three years, with additional funding, the government has worked with local employers to double the number of CSJ jobs available in Kelowna-Lake Country. Many of you have expressed it is a mutually beneficial experience, and I hope you will once again choose to participate to help our young people gain the skills and the confidence needed to find meaningful employment in today’s labour force.

More information on CSJ can be found at Canada.ca/Canada-summer-jobs, or by calling 1-800-935-5555.

Meanwhile, in other news out of Ottawa, Veteran’s Affairs has a new minister.

As the department welcomes (former justice minister ) Jody Wilson-Raybould, the government’s work to support veterans continues.

Responding to a call for action by Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans and the Veterans’ Ombudsman, the government introduced the Veteran’s Service Card, which will be distributed to former and released Canadian Armed Forces members who completed basic training and were honourably released.

The new card provides a tangible symbol of recognition for former armed forces members, encouraging an enduring affiliation with the CAF and ensuring linkages to VAC support programs as members transition to post-service life.

The card will be distributed in stages depending on when veterans were released from the Canadian Armed Forces.

More information can be found at canada.ca/veterans-service-card.

Veterans Affairs Canada is once again inviting Canadian schools, individuals and organizations to show their appreciation for Canadian veterans by making Valentines for Vets.

This program began in 1989 when columnist Ann Landers encouraged her readers to send valentines to veterans. Since 1996, Veterans Affairs Canada has distributed the hand-made valentines to veterans in long-term care facilities across the country in recognition of the enduring service our veterans have provided to our country.

For more information on ways to participate in this program go to veterans.gc.ca.

Stephen Fuhr is the Liberal MP for Kelowna- Lake Country.