Young activists fighting for a Youth Climate Corps gain attention of MPs outside of Liberal Caucus Retreat in Nanaimo, BC
Young activists fighting for a Youth Climate Corps gain attention of Liberal MPs outside of Liberal Caucus Retreat in Nanaimo, BC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nanaimo, September 11, 2024 – On Tuesday morning (September 10), a dozen Nanaimo residents gathered outside the Liberal Caucus retreat to receive Ministers, Members of Parliament, and government staffers with coffee, tea, lemonade, and a reminder to fulfil their promises to young people. Organizers for a Youth Climate Corps spoke about the need for the federal government to commit to funding in the fall economic statement, and to create a national green jobs program that meets the magnitude of the climate emergency.
MPs and political staffers came out to greet the young activists and reiterated that they will be establishing a Youth Climate Corps in 2025, including Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne, numerous parliamentary secretaries, and Prime Minister Trudeau’s economic advisor Mark Carney.
Youth Climate Corps organizers in photo with Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault and MP Julie Dabrusin
“With yet another summer of extreme weather behind us, we need an ambitious program to support our communities while creating tens of thousands of good, green jobs,” said Erin Blondeau, an organizer of the event.
“We know that MPs said they will consult on a Youth Climate Corps, but the time to act is now. We want to see a commitment in the Fall Economic Statement that sets a future climate corps program up for success. We spoke today about the need for the government to commit to invest a billion dollars to fund the first 20,000 Youth Climate Corps jobs in 2025.”
A Youth Climate Corps would be a massive new public program to train and employ thousands of young people in careers reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lifesaving community care work, adapting to climate change, and responding to extreme weather events.
Blondeau reminded electeds that “youth across the country are facing higher unemployment rates than in previous years, all while dealing with the same costs of living and climate crises. If the federal government wants a chance in next year’s election, then they must think and act big. Making a public commitment by the end of 2024, not by spring of 2025, will show voters that the Liberals are serious about establishing the program, and are ready to invite young people to meet this generational challenge.”
Organizers of the event also previewed their upcoming Day of Action on September 17th, where organizers across the country will paint community ground murals envisioning the impacts of a Youth Climate Corps locally.
Youth are proud to reiterate the message: they demand a national Youth Climate Corps in 2025, big enough that it would turn no young person away.
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Media Contact:
Erin Blondeau, 250-701-1998, erin@climateemergencyunit.ca
Find photos of the action here
About the Youth Climate Corps campaign:
This national campaign is led by youth across Canada who are tired of waiting for the government to act at the speed and scale needed to confront the climate crisis. The Youth Climate Corps campaign is fighting for a transformative federal program that would provide two-year fully paid job training and placement opportunities for anyone 35 and under. Government-funded but directed regionally by communities, Youth Climate Corps jobs would include working in renewable energy, building retrofits, ecosystem restoration, forest management, emergency response and community aid.
Learn more: https://www.goodgreenjobsforall.ca/
