The YCC Campaign is gathering organizational support to demand a significant commitment by the 2024 Fall Economic Statement. The initial deadline to sign will be November 7th. You can find the full English text of the letter here and sign the letter here. Vous pouvez lire la lettre en français ici.
Youth all around the country are calling for the federal government to create a national paid job training program where anyone 35 and under could apply and sign up for two years to do climate adaptation and mitigation work in their communities; a Youth Climate Corps. This would be a barrier-free, government-funded program to train youth for careers in the well-paying green jobs of the future. The vision for the training is in three areas of employment:
Stream 1: is emergency preparedness and response work - wildfire fighting, flood responses, and low-carbon care work involved during climate emergencies
Stream 2: jobs strengthening our community and environmental resilience to climate change - conservation positions, ecosystem restoration, shoring up community infrastructure; and
Stream 3: training in jobs that we immediately require to drive our everyday GHG emissions down - retrofitting our homes and buildings, renewable energy projects, and building our public transit systems.
Young people would finish this two-year-long program with a certification like a Red Seal to set them on a path for a long-term career doing this vital work. Built into the vision is a focus on equity-deserving communities who have historically been left behind. This would be a program that turns no one away. Federally funded but community-led.
The YCC campaign is really close to winning - it was in Budget 2024, federal government-led consultations are underway and they need your support to ensure the campaigns’ financial demands make it into the Fall Economic Statement, and Budget 2025.
Their call is for an initial federal investment in the YCC of $1 billion a year, which would then grow to accommodate demand. With a $1 billion a year investment, and a commitment to pay the prevailing living wage of about $25/hour, the YCC could create nearly 20,000 full-time jobs each year.
For more information on the campaign, check out these resources:
1. Policy Brief
2. Campaign FAQ
Thank you for your support!
