Trudeau defends summer jobs grant to anti-pipeline activists on free speech grounds
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday there’s no problem with a Canada Summer Jobs grant that will fund anti-pipeline activism, arguing his government must stand up for the principle of free expression and advocacy.
That may surprise the religious organizations who have been battling the government for months over the same summer jobs grants, thanks to a new clause that requires them to attest their “core mandate” respects reproductive rights, defined as the right to access abortions.
The issue dominated a fiery question period in the House of Commons Wednesday, as the Conservatives hammered Trudeau over the fact the British Columbia-based Dogwood Initiative was approved for federal government funding that, according to a job posting, will be used to hire an assistant to “help our organizing network stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline and tanker project.”
The summer jobs grant is normally a feel-good program that allows MPs to prioritize groups in their ridings to get funds to hire students. Dogwood spokesman Kai Nagata said the group has received summer jobs funding every year since 2010 — including when the previous Conservative government was in power, though their applications have always gone through Vancouver and Victoria ridings held by Liberal and NDP MPs.
But this year the summer jobs funding program has been swamped in controversy thanks to the abortion-rights attestation added by the Liberal government. Conservatives blasted the Liberals not only for approving grants to fund anti-pipeline activism, but also for what they called the government’s hypocrisy.
“There is nobody who believes that the Prime Minister is committed to free speech when he punishes all those in this country who do not agree with his personal point of view,” said Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, describing the grant as “taking tax dollars from people who are out of work in the energy sector and giving it to people who are trying to block a project in the national interest.”
Trudeau responded by defending the right to advocacy — but defended the attestation as well.
“The commitment that this government has made to stand up and defend reproductive rights and the rights of women at every single opportunity is one that sticks in their craw,” he said. “We will not apologize for ensuring that women’s rights are protected across this country.”
He also argued Conservatives had sought to defund left-leaning organizations and label environmentalists as eco-terrorists.
“We remember the Stephen Harper years that so many of the members opposite were part of where anyone who dared disagree with official government position was persecuted, marginalized, had their funding yanked, shut down,” he said. “We will always support the right of Canadians to express themselves.”
Trudeau defends summer jobs grant to anti-pipeline activists on free speech grounds | National Post
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday there’s no problem with a Canada Summer Jobs grant that will fund anti-pipeline activism, arguing his government must stand up for the principle of free expression and advocacy.
That may surprise the religious organizations who have been battling the government for months over the same summer jobs grants, thanks to a new clause that requires them to attest their “core mandate” respects reproductive rights, defined as the right to access abortions.
The issue dominated a fiery question period in the House of Commons Wednesday, as the Conservatives hammered Trudeau over the fact the British Columbia-based Dogwood Initiative was approved for federal government funding that, according to a job posting, will be used to hire an assistant to “help our organizing network stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline and tanker project.”
The summer jobs grant is normally a feel-good program that allows MPs to prioritize groups in their ridings to get funds to hire students. Dogwood spokesman Kai Nagata said the group has received summer jobs funding every year since 2010 — including when the previous Conservative government was in power, though their applications have always gone through Vancouver and Victoria ridings held by Liberal and NDP MPs.
But this year the summer jobs funding program has been swamped in controversy thanks to the abortion-rights attestation added by the Liberal government. Conservatives blasted the Liberals not only for approving grants to fund anti-pipeline activism, but also for what they called the government’s hypocrisy.
“There is nobody who believes that the Prime Minister is committed to free speech when he punishes all those in this country who do not agree with his personal point of view,” said Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, describing the grant as “taking tax dollars from people who are out of work in the energy sector and giving it to people who are trying to block a project in the national interest.”
Trudeau responded by defending the right to advocacy — but defended the attestation as well.
“The commitment that this government has made to stand up and defend reproductive rights and the rights of women at every single opportunity is one that sticks in their craw,” he said. “We will not apologize for ensuring that women’s rights are protected across this country.”
He also argued Conservatives had sought to defund left-leaning organizations and label environmentalists as eco-terrorists.
“We remember the Stephen Harper years that so many of the members opposite were part of where anyone who dared disagree with official government position was persecuted, marginalized, had their funding yanked, shut down,” he said. “We will always support the right of Canadians to express themselves.”
Trudeau defends summer jobs grant to anti-pipeline activists on free speech grounds | National Post
