Ads Aired for Nonexistent Jobs Grant Program

The Harper government has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars airing prime-time ads for a new federal Canada Jobs Grant for training workers—a program that doesn’t exist yet.

Prime-time ads began airing this week during NHL playoff games. According to CBC News, at $95,000 per 30-second spot—currently the priciest time slot for advertising—the government’s ad buy could easily cost in the millions of dollars. 

The newly announced program is no more than a concept at this point, one that has yet to be negotiated with provincial governments, and which requires buy-in from employers as well.

Peter Van Loan, Conservative government House leader, described the Canada Jobs Grant as a "proposal that needs to be fleshed out and developed fully,” adding that what has been announced is a concept of how the program could work.

Said concept requires that Ottawa, the province and the employer contribute up to $5,000 each toward the training of a worker. The program will require provincial agreement as well as business approval.

However, Parliament remains months away from even considering the legislation to create the federal training grant—a fact reflected by the fine print in the TV ads that the program is "subject to parliamentary approval.”

Flickr Photo by: SOMBILON ART, MEDIA and PHOTOGRAPHY

STORY WRITTEN BY: SPOON JUNG