With the economic recovery still fragile, our Harper government is focused on creating jobs and economic growth.
That is why we are making a new permanent investment in the Canada Summer Jobs Program. This program is an initiative that provides funding to help employers create summer job opportunities for students.
It is designed to focus on local priorities while achieving tangible results for both students and their communities, creating as many as 3,500 more jobs every summer for students across Canada.
Students aged 15 to 30 years, who are full-time students intending to return to their studies in the next school year, will be eligible.
These new jobs will benefit students looking to gain work experiences as well as support local economies in communities by providing small businesses and non-profit organizations (fewer than 50 employees) with employees who will help meet their needs.
Starting in 2011, the Conservative government is permanently increasing the budget for Canada Summer Jobs by $10 million to be allocated using the most recent labour market data available on summer students to ensure the new funding is provided to areas where it is needed most.
Not-for-profit employers are eligible for up to 100 per cent of the provincial/territorial minimum hourly wage and mandatory employment-related costs.
Public-sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees are eligible for up to 50 per cent of the provincial/territorial minimum hourly wage.
The application window for employers starts Feb. 1 and ends Feb. 28.
Application information can be found at http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/csj2011/.
As your member of Parliament for Okanagan-Shuswap, I want to assure you that our Conservative government takes matters concerning Canada’s youth very seriously, and that we want to help them succeed now and in the future.
