Debate: Liberal Youth Career Fund Proposal

Описание: Ontario faces one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the country, and the Ford government has no plan to fix it. The Ontario Liberals are calling on the government to take urgent action to create good, long-lasting jobs for young people across the province.

Recent statistics paint a stark picture. Summer job postings are down 22%, yet the government continues to ignore young workers while prioritizing handouts to friends and insiders. Statistics Canada reports the average wait for a young person to find a job in Ontario is now three and a half months—the longest since 1996 and the worst in Canada. Over 200,000 young Ontarians are actively looking for work, while the Premier’s only advice is to “look harder.”

Ontario Liberals raised the minimum wage, and now we’re asking for Doug Ford to do his part to set our youth up for success. Our Youth Career Fund would create between 47,000 and 75,000 youth jobs using funds already allocated in the Protecting Ontario Account. The fund would cover 49% of twenty 35-hour weeks at minimum wage, at a total cost of $450 million. 75,000 new youth jobs would lower Ontario’s youth unemployment rate to 10.3%, well below the national average.