Ottawa, ON — Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for Employment, released the following statement announcing the Conservative Youth Jobs Plan and calling on the Liberal government to adopt it in the upcoming federal budget: 

“Youth unemployment in Canada is now at crisis levels. Over 460,000 young Canadians are out of work, nearly 15 per cent of those 15 to 24 years old. The youth employment rate is at its lowest point in more than 25 years, outside of the pandemic. 

“This is an intolerable situation. A young person’s first job sets the course of future opportunities. High youth unemployment doesn’t just hurt today; it damages the long-term career prospects of the next generation. 

“Conservatives have a real plan to solve this crisis with the Youth Jobs Plan that will: 

  1. Unleash the Economy. Repeal anti-resource laws, cut taxes to drive reinvestment, and eliminate the red tape that is choking homebuilding and business growth.  
  2. Fix Immigration. The Liberals have broken the system, flooding the market with labour and destroying long-held social bargains. We must fix credential recognition and realign immigration with labour and housing market realities. 
  3. Fix Training. Federal student aid should no longer treat all studies the same. We are proposing that the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program provide relatively more support to students pursuing in-demand fields — determined based on objective labour market data. Taxpayer investments in education should prepare youth for jobs.  
  4. Build Homes Where the Jobs Are. Employers trying to hire in regions with labour shortages face major obstacles because workers cannot find nearby housing. To fix this, we are proposing a 100% capital cost write-off for companies that build workforce housing. This powerful incentive will help small businesses and larger employers alike attract workers, while expanding housing supply overall. 

“The government has no jobs plan for our youth. We do and we are putting forward these policies in a constructive spirit. Our message to the Liberals is simple: take our plan and put it in the budget. Young Canadians need action, not excuses. Conservatives’ ideas will deliver real results.”