Young people are powerful agents of change and contribute to real improvements in their communities. Providing them with employment opportunities that can lead to rewarding careers is one of the first ways to expand their horizons. In this way, young people can help build strong, vibrant and prosperous communities.
Today, Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (FedDev Ontario and Official Languages), announced an additional investment of $3.8 million to create 360 youth jobs and internships across Canada. She made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages.
This investment in support of the Young Canada Works - Official Languages program is in addition to the more than $3.7 million in current annual funding. It provides young Canadians with opportunities to gain skills and work experience in various sectors of the economy, while strengthening their second official language or their first official language skills by working in an official-language minority community.
The jobs and internships will be distributed as follows, through six delivery organizations that will ensure program delivery.
Atlantic Region
- Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick: 30 additional jobs
Quebec
- Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec: 88 additional jobs
Ontario
- Cooperation Council of Ontario: 55 additional jobs
Prairie and Northern Region
- Conseil économique et coopératif de la Saskatchewan: 69 additional jobs
Western Region
- Éducacentre College: 80 additional jobs
Nationwide (regions to be determined)
- Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française: 38 additional internships in Canada
This additional funding and the internships and jobs it creates strengthen the operational capacity of employing organizations, support community revitalization, enhance Canada's linguistic duality and cultural diversity, and contribute to the long-term development of official-language minority communities.
Quotes
"Stimulating young people's curiosity and commitment through hands-on work experience or internships is crucial to the development of this generation. When it also allows them to strengthen their skills in their second official language or to contribute to the sustainable development of official-language minority communities, the benefits of the Young Canada Works program are clear. All of this is at the heart of our government's priorities."
-The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages
"I am very proud that our government has made this significant investment, as it will put students in a better financial position to pursue their education or career. In addition to providing young people with immediate assistance and connecting them directly with communities in a work or internship setting, it also helps to enhance linguistic duality."
-Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (FedDev Ontario and Official Languages)
Quick facts
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In 1996-1997, Canadian Heritage created the Young Canada Works program to contribute to the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy initiative, which is coordinated by Employment and Social Development Canada and involves 11 federal departments and agencies, including Canadian Heritage.
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According to Statistics Canada's 2016 Census, Francophone communities outside Quebec represent 3.8 percent of the population, and the bilingualism rate of Anglophones outside Quebec is 6.8 percent. Projections for 2036 suggest the number of Francophones outside Quebec could drop to 3 percent, while the national bilingualism rate may increase only among Francophones in Quebec.
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According to Statistics Canada, the number of students enrolled in immersion programs increased 47.8 percent from 2006-2007 to 2016-2017, while the number of students enrolled in Francophone minority schools increased 14.3 percent.
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The Action Plan for Official Languages calls for $2.7 billion to be invested over five years, including $500 million in new funding to support official-language minority communities and promote bilingualism across the country.
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On February 19, Minister Joly presented the Government of Canada's intentions for modernizing and strengthening the Official Languages Act and related instruments in the document English and French: Towards a substantive equality of official languages in Canada. This document proposes a range of changes and new measures to establish a new linguistic balance in the country.
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On June 15, Minister Joly, supported by the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, President of the Treasury Board, and the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, introduced a bill to achieve substantive equality of English and French and to strengthen the Official Languages Act. The purpose of this bill is to advance the substantive equality of Canada's two official languages while taking into account the evolution of Canadian society, in order to ensure a bright future for our two official languages.
