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Writer's pictureDavid Mann

Accept but don't Approve


Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A2


Dear Mr. Prime Minister,


Thank you for acknowledging my previous letter in regard to the Canada Summer Jobs Program. Clearly you're a busy man running our country, but this correspondence - even though not directly from you - assures me that you value democracy.


I can understand your concern about previous funding that supported summer jobs, but excluded certain Canadians. One of your government's defining features has been its plurality.


Even as an 18-year old in Quebec you supported nationalism, despite the push from your fellow students for Quebec sovereignty. Your vow has always been for solidarity. In fact, the 2016 Supreme Court ruling that recognized rights of Metis and non-Status Indians was in a lot of ways a result of this commitment.


More recently, the unveiling of a new Canadian $10 bill with Viola Desmond on the front demonstrated your recognition of the minorities who have helped to shape our country. Mr. Prime Minister, if I understand you, your hope like mine, is to unify our country: to celebrate the diverse landscape, to connect the vast industry, and to empower the people that make it special.


My opposition to the adapted Canada Summer Jobs Program doesn't come from any bigotry, but is out of this same aspiration. If organizations compromise beliefs, eventually distinct differences will no longer be relevant. My fear is that the 'common ground' you so passionately seek out will become the norm to the point that there will be nothing outside of it.


I do appreciate the supplementary information added to the application; it implies that you support humanitarian work done by organizations with alternative views to yours. Yet, these examples contradict the requirements stated in the application overview.


I'm writing this not to develop a pen pal relationship with your office, but to express my concern for a government decision that has yet to be fully adopted. I urge you to reconsider the terms of this funding. It's not too late.


Sincerely,


A caring Canadian,

David


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