Charmaine Borg is one of the many champions of Katimavik, who have refused to buy into the Conservatives' miserly vision of Canadian society.
Katimavik
Open letter from a former Katimavik participant
A former Katimavik participant reflects on the Conservative government's decision to cut the program.
Related rabble.ca story:
Jacques Hébert
Jacques Hébert was a Canadian senator and author (1923-2007). He was a youth advocate and founded Canada World Youth and Katimavik. In 1986, Hébert completed a 21-day hunger strike in the Senate Hall on Parliament Hill to defend Katimavik from cancellation by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s government in 1986. The program remained cancelled for eight years, but was finally revived by the federal government in 1994 through Hébert's continued efforts.
Funding for the Katimavik program was eliminated again in the 2012 federal budget.
An open letter from a Katimavik participant
My name is Gabrielle de Montigny and I am 20 years old. I currently live in Toronto, Ont. and I would like to share my story.
First of all, I would like to state how deeply hurt and saddened I am by the Conservative government's decision to cut the Katimavik program out of the federal budget.
When I heard the news, I felt sad for those who would never experience what I have experienced. In this letter I would like to tell you specifically how Katimavik impacted me and those around me and how it has the potential to impact so many other youth and communities around Canada. I am not one to write letters personally but given the profound impact Katimavik has had on me, I strongly believe that you need to hear my story.