It definitely hasn’t been easy for young people to find employment opportunities these past couple summers, acknowledged Delta MP and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Carla Qualtrough.
On Wednesday (Aug. 4), she spoke with youth from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada (BGC Canada) to discuss the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program – an initiative that aims to smoothly transition young people aged 15 to 30 into the job market through paid work experience.
“I know times are still tough, and they’re still hard, and you might not see your future the same way you did before the pandemic, but rest assured, your government is invested and investing in your future,” said Qualtrough, adding government has funded 160,000 job opportunities through CSJ across the country.
Within BGC Canada, the feds have funded 123 CSJ projects to offer a total of 1,187 opportunities to young people over the summer, she added.
“Thanks to your organization and your many clubs across the country, including in my city of Delta, so many young people are finding meaningful work opportunities at such an important time and uncertain time in their lives,” said Qualtrough.
Because of the pandemic, the CSJ program was permitted to be more flexible, and allowed employers to hire youth full-time or part-time, as well as for longer timeframes than just the summer season.
After Qualtrough asked the youth attending the funding announcement how the Canadian government could improve the program, it was suggested that perhaps this flexibility should remain in place after the pandemic.
They also discussed offering more placements in the trades and potentially offering placements specifically targeted for marginalized youth who may face more challenges, including discrimination, to get a job.
All ideas brought forward by youth, said Qualtrough, would be brought to the attention of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“This is my favourite part of my job, and I get my best ideas and bring them forward to the cabinet table after having done these kinds of conversations,” she added.
