Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
National

NDP MP Nathan Cullen Apologizes For Comments On Abortion-rights Requirement In Jobs Program

The Canadian Press, 25 Jan, 2018 11:47 AM
    OTTAWA — New Democrat MP Nathan Cullen has apologized for criticizing the Trudeau government's decision to force groups applying for summer-job grants to affirm their respect for a woman's right to have an abortion.
     
     
    The apology came hours after Cullen criticized the way the Liberals added the new requirement to the Canada Summer Jobs program, which helps employers subsidize the cost of hiring students for summer work.
     
     
    The requirement stipulates that an applicant must affirm that both the job description and the group's core mandate respect human rights, including reproductive rights.
     
     
    Cullen initially called the new requirement "offensive" during a news conference on Wednesday, and compared it to the Harper government's decision to cut funding for foreign aid groups that supported abortion.
     
     
    But he took to Twitter a few hours later to say he was sorry "for the harm from my comments," and asserted that he and the federal NDP are "fiercely pro-choice."
     
     
    "I reacted to concerns raised by groups in my riding on the government's first statement on the policy," Cullen wrote.
     
     
    A subsequent clarification earlier this week from the department responsible for the program "put those fears to rest," he added.
     
     
    The clarification from Employment and Social Development Canada indicated that the core mandate concerns the primary activities of the organization, not its values or beliefs.
     
     
    For example, the department said a faith-based organization that embraces a traditional definition of marriage but whose primary activities are aimed at reducing social isolation among seniors would be eligible for funding to hire students to  develop or deliver programs available to all seniors, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
     
     
    A summer camp that does not allow LGBTQ youth, however, would not be eligible for funding to hire students as camp counsellors.
     
     
    The clarification has not calmed all fears. A coalition of different organizations is set to release a statement Thursday signed by 80 religious leaders, institutions and other groups calling on the government to revise the policy.
     
     
    The federal Conservatives have levelled their own attacks against the requirement, with leader Andrew Scheer saying organizations must submit to a "Trudeau values test" before receiving government funding.
     
     
    The Canada Summer Jobs program created nearly 69,000 temporary jobs last year.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Wrongfully Imprisoned B.C. Man Denies Allegations Of Assault In Civil Lawsuit

    VANCOUVER — A British Columbia man awarded millions for wrongful imprisonment is now defending himself in a civil lawsuit, again denying he sexually assaulted five women.

    Wrongfully Imprisoned B.C. Man Denies Allegations Of Assault In Civil Lawsuit

    Ex-Hostage Joshua Boyle Facing 15 Charges, Case Adjourned Until Monday

    Ex-Hostage Joshua Boyle Facing 15 Charges, Case Adjourned Until Monday
    OTTAWA — Former Canadian hostage Joshua Boyle made a brief video appearance in an Ottawa courtroom today after being charged with 15 offences, including sexual assault, following his release from captivity in Afghanistan.

    Ex-Hostage Joshua Boyle Facing 15 Charges, Case Adjourned Until Monday

    Snowmobilers Rescue Moose Buried Neck-deep In Snow In Western Newfoundland

    Snowmobilers Rescue Moose Buried Neck-deep In Snow In Western Newfoundland
      DEER LAKE, N.L. — A group of snowmobilers pulled out their shovels to free a stuck moose after spotting its head poking out of freshly fallen snow in western Newfoundland.

    Snowmobilers Rescue Moose Buried Neck-deep In Snow In Western Newfoundland

    Cutting-Edge Design School, Named For Lululemon Exec Chip Wilson, Opens In B.C.

    Cutting-Edge Design School, Named For Lululemon Exec Chip Wilson, Opens In B.C.
    A state-of-the-art design school named after the founder of active wear giant Lululemon is the latest addition to Kwantlen Polytechnic University's campus in Richmond, B.C.

    Cutting-Edge Design School, Named For Lululemon Exec Chip Wilson, Opens In B.C.

    B.C. Boosts Homeowner Grant To 1.65M As Assessed Value Of Homes Rises Again

    B.C. Boosts Homeowner Grant To 1.65M As Assessed Value Of Homes Rises Again
    The British Columbia government is raising the threshold for the 2018 homeowner grant as residents receive letters this week indicating the assessed value of their homes is up again.

    B.C. Boosts Homeowner Grant To 1.65M As Assessed Value Of Homes Rises Again

    IHIT Responding To Apparent Homicide Near Metrotown Mall

    Neighbours Heard A Woman Screaming At An Apartment Building On Telford Avenue Overnight

    IHIT Responding To Apparent Homicide Near Metrotown Mall