It has been a staple of a Bruno summer for the past 15 years.
But for 2018, the Cherry Sunday will not be a part of the Bruno summer.
Organizers are citing a lack of federal funding as the culprit.
“St. Therese Institute has hired a full-time summer employee through the Canada Summer Jobs Program to coordinate the event. This year, our application for a summer student was denied,” said Bruno Cherry Sunday Committee in a recent press release.
The federal application required applicants to sign an attestation stating respect for individual human rights including those in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“These include reproductive rights and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression,” according to the attestation.
The committee said they could not sign the attestation in good conscience.
While Cathay Wagantall, Member of Parliament for Yorkton-Melville, still encouraged non-profits to apply for funding through the Canada Summer Jobs Program, she did not agree with the attestation.
“The Liberal government of Justin Trudeau has indicated it will ban any employer from receiving summer job grants for students if the employer doesn’t first sign an ‘attestation’ that they support abortion and LGBTQ+ rights contrary to their personal and faith-based views,” said Wagantall Carlton Trail Eagle Creek MP Kelly Block was also disappointed with the cancellation of the festival.
“The effect of the Trudeau Liberal’s attestation was brought close to home for residents of Bruno this week when the Bruno Cherry Sunday Festival announced it was being cancelled due to the denial of funding from the Canada Summer Jobs Program,” said MP Block. “It is very disappointing. For the past 15 years this event has brought the community together and attracted visitors from across Saskatchewan.”
Even after hearing about the denial of funding, the committee said it would continue the event with volunteers. However, it soon became clear that that would not be the case.
“We have now come to the realization that, without the full-time aid of a coordinator, the number of hours required to ensure a successful event is impossible for our current volunteer committee to provide,” said the press release.
While the event may be gone for 2018, the committee hopes to return bigger and better for 2019.
