Minimum wage increases bite into funding boost for Canada Summer Jobs program
(WorldNews Canada)

OTTAWA — Rising provincial minimum wages have cut into the reach of the Liberal government’s oft-touted increase to summer jobs spending by reducing the number of weekly hours being funded this year. The Liberals have doubled spending on the politically popular program to approximately $220 million in order to boost the number of available jobs to 70,000 from about 35,000. Newly released documents show the government was aware in late winter that there would be a drop in the number of hours funded through the program to meet the Liberal government’s summer jobs target. A mid-March briefing note to Labour Minister Patty Hajdu...