Canada Summer Jobs 2023

Applications for Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) 2023 are open! Applications are due January 12, 2023. As always, charity leaders need to make up their own minds as to whether they are comfortable with the terms and conditions attached to CSJ funding. To help you decide, we’ll look at the requirements for 2023 as set out in the Applicant Guide and the Articles of Agreement.

Key Dates

• January 12 – deadline to apply
• April 24 – earliest job start date
• July 24 – latest job start date
• September 2 – latest job end date

Funding confirmation will be sent to employers starting in April 2023.

Understanding & Navigating the CSJ Application

The first place to go to understand what the CSJ program requires is the CSJ Applicant materials, including:

• 2023 Applicant Guide
• Articles of Agreement
• Application Form
• Employee Consent Form
• Employer and Employee Declaration

If you’re looking for more and want some practical help understanding and navigating the 2023 CSJ Application from a Christian perspective, we’ve got resources for you! CCCC resources supplement, but do not replace, the CSJ Applicant Guide and source documents. Each of these has been updated to reflect 2023 information:

• About Canada Summer Jobs

• How to Apply to Canada Summer Jobs

• Resource Page

Quick Overview: What’s Different?

Very little has changed from the 2022 CSJ Application but there are a few things to note.

National Priorities

Four of the five national priorities for 2023 are the same as 2022:

• Youth with disabilities
• Black and other racialized youth
• Indigenous youth; and
• Small business and not-for-profit organizations that self-report as having leadership from groups that are underrepresented in the labour market

The new 2023 priority is:

• Small business and not-for-profit organizations in environmental sectors

This replaces the 2022 priority of youth who are early leavers of high school, not in employment, education or training.

Local priorities continue to be used to assess applications. Those vary from constituency to constituency.

Contact Info

Applicants are now asked to provide a secondary organizational contact.

Attestation – Minor Change

The Attestation no longer asks applicants to confirm that “the job would not be created without the financial assistance provided under a potential contribution agreement.” Instead it asks applicants to:

• certify and warrant on behalf of the organization and in my personal capacity that the information in this Application for Funding and any supporting documentation is true, accurate, and complete

Official Language Minority Community – New Question

A new question on the Application Form questions (#16) asks whether the proposed activities are directed at members of an Official Language Minority Community (OLMC). If the proposed activities are directed at an OLMC, the CSJ employee must use the minority language.

Continuous Eligibility

A new section in the Articles of Agreement require that employers must continue to meet CSJ eligibility requirements for the duration of the project period.

What Will Happen this Year?

That’s not a question we can really answer. We do know that faith-based organizations’ applications have been rejected for a variety of reasons, including statements of faith that adhere to a biblical definition of marriage, where all staff agree to sign statements of faith, and other similar reasons. However, we also know that many religious organizations successfully apply for CSJ funding. Presumably we will continue to see a variety of outcomes.

What to do?

As noted at the outset, charity leaders need to make up their own minds as to whether they are comfortable with the terms and conditions attached to CSJ funding. From a CCCC perspective, we’re still of the view that the phrasing of the Attestation ought not deny the right of religious organizations to speak or teach or live their religious views, even if that doesn’t line up with the government’s worldview. Generally, it is not contrary to applicable laws for faith-based organizations to hire in accordance with their faith. Therefore, we would again encourage Christian charities who are interested and eligible to apply for funding in 2023.