Quebec has decided to stop funding the Carrefour jeunesse-emploi (CJE) of Pointe-aux-Trembles Montréal-Est due to use deemed non-compliant with the sums allocated to it, we have learned The duty. The Eastern Employment Assistance Service, which manages the CJE and works in the constituency of Chantal Rouleau, Minister responsible for Social Solidarity, now fears having to cease its activities.
For 26 years, the CJE of Pointe-aux-Trembles Montréal-Est has supported young people each year in their employment and social reintegration efforts. However, the organization learned last week from the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity (MESS) that its subsidies would be abolished.
“This decision was taken following analyzes which revealed non-compliant use by the organization of the amounts allocated by the Ministry,” indicated by email Catherine Poulin, communications advisor at MESS. “Moreover, all of the eligibility criteria for the financial support program for youth-employment carrefours are not respected by the organization despite a support period of more than two years aimed at enabling the organization to conform. »
In 2023-2024, the CJE received funding of $348,741 for employability development services and a sum of $350,645 under the Financial Support Program for Carrefours jeunesse-emploi, grants which will not be renewed.
The MESS assures, however, that this decision will not lead to a disruption in services since the organizations serving neighboring districts will be able to take over. A Services Québec employee is also stationed at the Pointe-aux-Trembles library to take care of young people.
Vagueness and uncertainty
The MESS’s decision, however, created a stir at the Eastern Employment Assistance Service, which manages three services, including the CJE, and has nearly 25 employees. The management of the organization did not want to grant an interview on this subject, but by email, Carl Veilleux, director general of the Service, maintains that the reasons leading to this decision by the ministry were not clearly communicated to the organism. “Although we are surprised by this decision, we have reached out to the ministry to better understand its concerns and, if necessary, to implement modifications within our structure to avoid a closure of the CJE,” underlined Mr. Veilleux.
The ministry’s decision could be catastrophic for the organization, which also administers two other assistance services, one intended for adults and the other for people in the justice system. The three services which support 1,200 people each year are therefore threatened with closure if no solution is found, especially since the organization maintains that in addition to cuts totaling nearly $700,000, it has lost MESS contracts. with a total value of $710,000.
The Eastern Employment Assistance Service says it has had numerous discussions with the ministry over the past year regarding the use of certain funds. “To date, the Eastern Employment Assistance Service, its management or its administrators have not been informed of any fault committed in the management of the organization,” we add.
The director of the Youth-Employment Carrefours Network, Rudy Humbert, deplores the threat hovering over the CJE, but ignores the exact reasons which motivated the ministry to cease its funding. Quebec has 111 CJEs, but no others have suffered funding interruptions, he said.
For its part, Minister Rouleau’s office did not want to comment on the matter, indicating that it was an administrative decision.