Something big may have just happened that could be life changing for young people in Canada.
On April 16, the Liberal government announced its federal budget.
On page 126 of the budget, the government says that it “intends to launch consultations on the development of a Youth Climate Corps program that will equip young people with jobs that work to address climate change.”
Although the government doesn’t highlight or elaborate on what they mean, this could be huge.
Toronto, ON – As the global climate COP28 meetings begin in Dubai, young people are mobilizing for climate action here at home. This morning, dozens of youth gathered outside the constituency office of federal Minister for Youth Marci Ien to hand-deliver over 600 mock cover letters for a Youth Climate Corps (YCC). The letters capture the aspirations of young people from across the country seeking meaningful work confronting the climate crisis. These youth seek to serve in an exciting government-funded green jobs program.
A few weeks ago, a group of high school students were traveling by train from Victoria, BC to Ottawa on a cross-country field trip. Along the way, they stopped in downtown Vancouver to meet with Climate Emergency Unit team lead Seth Klein to deliver 40 applications for Youth Climate Corps jobs.
This action was part of a larger campaign to collect hundreds of cover letters from youth across so-called Canada. On November 30, Climate Emergency Unit staff and volunteers will be hand-delivering these letters to the Minister of Youth, Marci Ien, in Toronto.
In a time where the climate crisis is no longer a distant threat but a pressing reality, these polling results should be a call to action—both for more people to join this movement and for the government to realize we won’t back down.
One of the most noteworthy aspects of the survey is the support the Youth Climate Corps receives across political affiliations. 92% of NDP supporters, 91% of Liberals, 85% of Bloc, and even 64% of Conservative respondents express either support or acceptance of the creation of a YCC. This shows that the urgency of climate action transcends political boundaries and that a transformative program like the YCC could unite all of us.
Hope has taken root in the political landscape.
President Biden's recent announcement of the American Climate Corps, inspired by the tireless efforts of the American Sunrise Movement, marks a significant milestone in the fight against the climate emergency for our neighbours to the south.
The American Climate Corps is a testament to the power of grassroots movements and shows us what can be accomplished when people (especially young people) mobilize that power.