Polling that we have commissioned from Abacus Data shows strong public support for this YCC vision across the country. In short, this would be a very popular program with massive interest among young people.
Our call is for an initial federal investment in the YCC of $1 billion a year, which would then grow to accommodate demand. Ideally, the YCC would be cost-matched by provincial governments, and the deployment of young people would be done jointly with provincial, municipal and indigenous governments so that the projects and the training would align with regional and local climate action priorities that maximize greenhouse gas reductions. With a $1 billion-a-year investment and a commitment to pay the prevailing living wage of about $25 an hour, the YCC would create nearly 20,000 full-time jobs each year.