2002, enter Stephen Harper, newly minted leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.  His very first question in the House of Commons kicked off the Adscam scandal that would lead to the end of the Liberal Party’s hold on government.

Fast forward to 2014. Yet another ad scandal is stretching its legs in the Commons, this one authored by the Conservatives.  The Canada Jobs Grant program is an initiative that will replace Labour Market Agreements with the provinces and territories when they expire at the end of March.

Labour Market Agreements included training programs for people outside of the workforce who needed fundamental skills training in order to enter the workforce.  But, the Canada Job Grant is focused on workers who already have a job but are identified by employers as needing more training.  Under CJG, the feds, the provincial government and the employer will equally share the cost of training, up to a maximum of $15,000 per employee.

However, observers alertly point out that the CJG dosen’t exist yet, pending acceptance by those pesky provincial and territorial governments, who still haven’t bought in to it.

Governments really like their advertising ideas, whether what they’re advertising is in existance or not. Read more in this CBC story…