As we enter the third month of this new fiscal year, the federal government has already failed to act on its Youth Climate Corps commitment and has disengaged from the project’s longstanding civil society partners.

After many years of campaigning, the Youth Climate Corps has finally broken through, announced as a new public program in Federal Budget 2025.

After many years of campaigning, we are relieved and heartened to see the Youth Climate Corps established in Budget 2025, with a commitment of $40 million over two years.

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.