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We believe the Minister does not have the jurisdiction under law to compel us to make a statement that conflicts with our conscience rights under the Charter

“You must check this box in order to proceed, otherwise the system will not allow you to continue,” the online application says. Paper applications must also have the box checked for the application to be assessed.

The Canada Summer Jobs program provides grants for small businesses, non-profits and public sector organizations to hire full-time students aged 15 to 30 years. The Liberals boosted funding for the program after forming government in 2015, putting in an extra $113 million annually to double the number of placements.

MPs are involved in setting the priorities for who gets grants in their riding. “Assessment of applications will be carried out on a constituency-by-constituency basis, ensuring that local priorities are considered,” the program website says.

The federal government has already had to pay out a settlement for denying funding to three anti-abortion groups in 2017 (before the attestation was added to the forms). That spring, the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada had put out a report slamming the fact that some anti-abortion groups had received federal job grants in previous summers.

Photo by Gino Donato/Sudbury Star/Postmedia Network

Following the report, a spokesperson for Employment Minister Patty Hajdu told iPolitics that anti-abortion groups in ridings represented by Liberal MPs would be rejected for grants. Based on that comment, three groups filed in federal court in May 2017 to argue they had been denied funding solely on the basis of their beliefs.