apparently, the federal government thinks it's not bound by provincial minimum wage laws, and that offering work below the minimum wage to students is some kind of act of generosity.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/feds-offering-students-1k-for-every-100-hours-of-covid-19-volunteer-work-1.4999165

$1000 for 100 hours of work is $10/hr, which is considerably below the minimum wage in all of the large provinces.

ontario - $14/hr

alberta - $15/hr

bc - $14.60/hr

quebec - $12.50/hr

so, if your kid signs up for this, s/he's essentially subsidizing the executives at some corporate charity, who get to siphon wages from the workers out of the "donations" to the organization. 

i understand that employment opportunities for students may be slim this summer, and this may have longterm implications on their finances, but that's not some kind of excuse for the federal government, of all institutions, to trample all over minimum wage legislation. 

so, somebody should launch legal action to ensure that these workers are being paid a legal wage, if they choose to take this labour on.