The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) has received input from a number of its member organizations about difficulties they have experienced in recent months in their relationship with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

The following backgrounder describes the nature of the problems being encountered. It is based on an initial round of consultation with CCEDNet members in various jurisdictions, including British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia and particularly Ontario. While not an exhaustive study, we believe the issues documented here are illustrative of problems experienced by many organizations across the country.