Press Release: MP Ed Fast Comments on Justin Trudeau’s Canada Summer Jobs Program “Values Test”

April 12, 2018
For Immediate Release
Abbotsford, BC –

Today, for the first time in his 12 years as Member of Parliament for Abbotsford, Ed Fast will not be signing off on the Canada Summer Jobs approval list. Although it is expected that the federal government will still distribute the monies allocated to Abbotsford, Fast is expressing his profound disapproval of the Liberal government’s values test which seeks to impose Justin Trudeau’s values on all Canadians and undermines their Charter rights to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression.“Justin Trudeau’s values test for the Canada Summer Jobs program isn’t about the activities or services an organization is engaged in, it’s about targeting the personal beliefs of the individuals who run and are members of those organizations,” said Fast. “The demand that an organization sign an attestation stating that they share and will promote the same values as those of the Liberal Party puts Canada on the slippery slope to intolerance and division.”Fast made these comments at a press conference attended by many community and faith leaders.After months of protests by concerned citizens, the Minister of Employment, Workforce, Development and Labour has stated that her office will consider altering the application process for next year and clarifying what the Liberals mean by “core mandate”.But Fast says that’s not good enough and that any attempts to undermine the Canadian Charter of Rights as the Prime Minister has proposed will not be corrected with mere tinkering. “If the Liberals believe that only a minor change to the attestation is required, why won’t they do so immediately in time for this year’s Canada Summer Jobs program,” questioned Fast. ”Canadians no longer trust this government to protect and defend their constitutional rights and fear the steady erosion of their freedom of conscience and belief.”Fast went on to say that he has heard from many organizations about their concern that Justin Trudeau’s efforts to impose his value system on them will mean that in the future they will lose their charitable status and that ordinary Canadians will lose their ability to access other government services such as pension entitlements.“It is completely unacceptable that many students will be out of jobs this summer, and that the organizations that were denied funding due to their unwillingness to sign the values test attestation may make them less able to help care for refugees and persons with disabilities or provide day camp for children in need,” concluded Fast. “For these reasons, I cannot and will not sign off on and be a party to the government’s approval process.”

For more information contact:
Mike Murray
Office of the Hon. Ed Fast
604-557-7888