While I'm pleased to see some movement on relief for students, I'm disappointed that students are being treated as an infantilized class of workers. From my prior experience in applying to the Canada Summer Jobs program as an employer: 1/5 https://twitter.com/PnPCBC/status/1247912385681203200

1) Applications closed months ago. This means that a business who wanted to utilized this now, needed to have already applied.

2/5

2) The Canada Summer Jobs Program normally only provides wage subsidies at the minimum wage rates. What about students who received a fair living wage a higher rate? Compare this to businesses with non-student workers and a 75% wage subsidy (capped around $850/week I think?)

3/5

3) This also ignores that many Canada Summer Jobs Program businesses are in the tourism and recreation sector (ex: summer camps) which have closed and laid off their workers. Will they reopen just to put students on their payroll and tell them to stay home?

4/5

4) You also have to be under the age of 30 to be elligible as a student to be funded under the Canada Summer Jobs Program. This prevents the benefits from helping those who went back to school for a second-career/returned after maternity leave/mature students.

Truly, the only way forward is a shift of the CERB into a Universal Basic Income.

The press release from the PMO providing more-ish detail: https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2020/04/08/changes-canada-summer-jobs-program-help-businesses-and-young