OTTAWA — Employment Minister Patty Hajdu is looking to defuse the controversy over the Canada Summer Jobs program, as her office clarifies the terms used in the attestation, and puts in calls to faith-based groups concerned their religious freedom is at stake. But the wording on the application form itself is unchanged, and one group who received a call from Hajdu says the attestation remains “unacceptable.”Groups applying for the Canada Summer Jobs grant this year are required to attest that both the job and the organization’s “core mandate” respect reproductive rights, among other rights. Religious groups, however, say their core mandate is inseparable from their beliefs and values. She has said faith-based organizations that don’t focus on those activities should feel fine signing the attestation. The application period for the Canada Summer Jobs program closes on Feb. 2.

Source: National Post January 23, 2018 23:26 UTC