Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'll just read my motion.
That the Standing Committee on Finance a) undertake a study of youth employment across Canada, including: i) the factors contributing to a high rate of youth unemployment, ii) the economic impact of youth un- and underemployment, iii) the benefits and costs of paid and unpaid internships, and iv) options to provide greater labour protections to interns; b) that the Committee make recommendations to the Government of Canada to improve youth employment outcomes in Canada; and c) that the Committee report its findings to the House of Commons.
Mr. Chair, we've been very concerned, and we have expressed concern in the House on several occasions about the level of youth unemployment and concern that we're wasting the talents and abilities of young people who aren't getting a full toehold into the Canadian economy. Frankly, it is a challenge to our overall economy that this is an underutilized group in our society, and that will have economic fallout for years to come, as studies have indicated. We think it's important for this committee to take a look at what's happening with youth employment across the country.
Of late, there has been great concern about the issue of unpaid internships and how young people, in order to get a toehold in the workforce, are in fact accepting unpaid work for which they normally ought to be reimbursed, as other workers are. We think it's worth studying in detail because this is a pressing issue in our economy and our society today.