REACH OUT TO KEY MINISTERS

Community leaders! 🚨 Tell Ministers Freeland, Guillbeault and Ien that you want to see a financial commitment for a Youth Climate Corps in the Fall Economic Statement

The campaign for a Youth Climate Corps is at a critical juncture.

We are on the precipice of winning. Government-led consultations on the design and delivery of the YCC are underway, with the goal to launch it in the 2025 federal budget.

But in this political moment we have to move faster if we are going to have a chance to actually see the implementation of this transformative program. We need to see a financial commitment to the YCC in the upcoming Fall Economic Statement. And we don’t have much time.

That’s where you come in. As a strong community leader, your voice can make a difference. You can use your influence to reinforce our key demand at this crucial moment.

Our call is for an initial federal investment in the YCC of $1 billion a year, which would then grow to accommodate demand. With a $1 billion a year investment, and a commitment to pay the prevailing living wage of about $25/hour, the YCC could create nearly 20,000 full-time jobs each year.

There are three ministers in particular that need to hear this demand if it’s going to make the Fall Economic Statement:

  • Marci Ien – Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth of Canada
    Email: marci.ien@parl.gc.ca
    Hill office phone #: 613-992-1377
    Constituency office phone # 416-972-9749 

  • Chrystia Freeland – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
    Email: chrystia.freeland@parl.gc.ca
    Hill office phone #: 613-992-5234
    Constituency office phone # 416-928-1451 

  • Steven Guillbeault – Minister of Environment and Climate Change
    Email: Steven.Guilbeault@parl.gc.ca
    Hill office phone #: 613-992-6779
    Constituency office phone # 514-522-1339

Call them. Email them. Meet with them. Let them know you want to see a financial commitment to the Youth Climate Corps in the Fall Economic Statement and into the 2025 budget.

Please feel free to reach out to Juan Vargas Alba (juan@climateemergencyunit.ca) and Bushra Asghar (bushra@climateemergencyunit.ca) for help and to let us know how your conversation went.

Tools and resources

  • Policy brief – for the basics

  • YCC FAQ – for details about program implementation and benefits 

  • Polling – on the popularity of a YCC across demographics, regions and party preferences