Thank you, Chair.
My thanks to our witness for being here today for the beginning of this very important study.
I want to say from the outset that our government takes the issue of youth employment very seriously, which is why we've taken significant steps to help young Canadians get proper training and find meaningful employment. In fact, over two million young Canadians have been assisted by our government's programs since 2006 and thanks to these programs, we now have one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in the G-7.
However, we also recognize that as long as young people are looking for work, there's still more work to be done. That's why our recent budget, budget 2014, dedicated over $55 million to internships and over $40 million to help young entrepreneurs get the mentorship, financial support, business advice, and development space that they need to grow their ideas and their start-ups.
My first question is for the Canadian Youth Business Foundation. Ms. Josephs, your organization does great work in empowering young entrepreneurs. How important is our government support for young entrepreneurs?