Right Honourable Mark Carney, Prime Minister
Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families
Honourable Wade Grant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
As student union representatives, we are writing on behalf of the youth across Canada who are deeply concerned about our future. We are currently facing the overwhelming pressures of a volatile job market, skyrocketing costs of living, and the escalating climate crisis. Young Canadians are eager to be part of the solution, but we need your support. The creation of a Canadian Youth Climate Corps (YCC) is a unique opportunity to build a workforce of young people in Canada who are eager to work towards positive environmental change. We appreciate that the Liberal platform responded to recommendations from the Alma Mater Society (AMS) of UBC and included the creation of a YCC in their campaign commitments, however we are concerned by the lack of funding outlined for the program.
That’s why we are urging the Government of Canada to allocate funding to ensure that the YCC can be a transformative investment towards young people and future communities in Canada. It would create 20,000 jobs for youth a year, embolden Canada’s response to climate change, and strengthen the emergency readiness of communities across Canada (1). It’s not hard to see the YCC is supported by 55% of Canadians, and 65% of 18-35 year olds, from all parties and provinces (2).
To fully appreciate the benefits of the YCC, the $28 million per year outlined in the Liberal platform will not be enough. Other jobs programs, such as the Canada Summer Jobs program, have received an average of $335 million annually since 2020 (3). To ensure that a fully funded and fully operational YCC can serve as a strong investment in Canada’s future, the member schools of the BC3 alliance recommend:
We want to thank you for your attention to this issue; young Canadians want to do our part to create a strong Canada that can lead the way through the climate crisis, a YCC allows us to do that while tackling the jobs crisis and supporting communities from coast to coast.
We hope you will take our concerns into consideration and make sure the YCC has the funding needed be a strong investment for Canada’s future.
Sincerely,
The BC3 Coalition:
Solomon Yi-Kieran, Vice President External Affairs, AMS of UBC Vancouver
Jessica Lamb, Vice President External and Community Affairs, SFSS
Michael Caryk, Director of Campaigns & Community Relations, UVSS
Olivia Lai, Vice President External, SUO of UBC Okanagan
Supported by:
Citations:
