Canada’s youth unemployment rate is at 13 per cent, what would your party do to help more young Canadians find work?
There are over 60,000 fewer jobs for youth today than when Stephen Harper first took office and the number of young Canadians unemployed for more than a year has tripled. The NDP has committed to create 40,000 paid internships for youth. By creating good jobs, young people gain the experience and advanced skills they need to get working and stay working. In partnership with small business, industry, NGOs and government, we can create safe placements for youth and crackdown on the use of unpaid internships. The NDP will also give interns the same protections as other workers, ensuring our young people return home safe from work. By creating quality jobs in small business and green industries, we are also investing in Canada’s future job market.
The NDP is committed to restoring the federal minimum wage and raise it to $15 an hour. Electing an NDP government will make life more affordable for everyone because we will invest in childcare, affordable housing and transit.
What should Canada’s role be in dealing with international refugees?
The NDP is committed to get more Syrian refugees to Canada. We can begin by getting 10,000 Syrian refugees out of harm’s way and to Canada by the end of the year. The NDP has committed to work with the government to get those 10,000 government-sponsored refugees out of harm’s way and on the way to Canada by the end of this year through appointing a Syrian refugee coordinator, pulling resources from various departments including foreign affairs, citizenship and immigration and other departments. We should also increase the presence of Canada’s diplomatic and immigration officials in the region to accelerate processing of refugees. Canada can work with Turkey and other affected countries to remove bureaucratic obstacles to resettlement and end Canada’s policy of discrimination, treating all refugees equally.