Thursday, April 5, 2012

Katimavik gets the chop - and it's all political


In this week's federal budget, Katimavik got the chop. In their reaction statement to this slashing of a programme that has made the difference in thousands of young Canadian's lives, Katimavik said, in part:

It is with extreme disappointment that we learned today that the Government has decided to end its funding commitment to Katimavik.

Today’s announcement comes as a surprise, since we are entering the third year of a funding agreement whose terms end March 31st, 2013. The decision is even more surprising considering that the recently made public Canadian Heritage summative evaluation of our programs makes very clear how Katimavik’s programs are not only relevant, important and valuable, but also how the organization attains its targets and the programs tie in with government-wide priorities and the department’s strategic objectives.

For the past 35 years, Katimavik has helped shape a civically responsible Canada by harnessing the power of our young volunteers to help those in need in communities across Canada. In that time, over 30 000 Canadian youth have made a difference in communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast. They participated in our program gaining valuable work, life and leadership skills all the while fostering community development and civic engagement. Their parents had peace of mind knowing that their sons and daughters were participating in a structured, time-tested program, while they navigated the transition from emerging adulthood to adulthood...


(Read the rest here, and while there, read more about this great programme.)

Today from the Ottawa Citizen, comes an editorial which says exactly what I believe is behind this ridiculous political hackery by the Harper government. Read on:

Katimavik should be a Tory favourite

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