Mr. Speaker, Canada’s new government is committed to youth and improving opportunities for youth and all Canadians. Under the new government, employment for all Canadians is at a 30 year high. Our government is also supporting youth employment through Advantage Canada and our investments of $1,000 per year for apprentices in the first two years of a red seal trade, the apprenticeship job creation tax credit for employers, and the tool tax deduction for tradespeople. Budget 2007 also provides an additional $105 million over five years to help aboriginal youth and others receive skills training and secure sustainable jobs, $500 million per year to help address a gap in labour market programming for those who do not qualify for training through employment insurance, as well as a new working income tax benefit to help an estimated 1.2 million low income Canadians.
In 2005-06, HRSDC had a total budget of $230.9 million for the three components of the youth employment strategy, YES; $106.7 million was spent in skills link, $6.2 million in career focus and $92.9 million in the summer work experience program. There is a very high volume of projects, over 30,000, under YES. A report detailing the amount spent on each project is therefore not attached.
Canada summer jobs, CSJ, is a new initiative of the summer work experience program. CSJ provides wage subsidies to help Canadian employers of not for profit, public sector, and smaller private sector organizations with 50 or fewer employees create career related summer jobs for students between the ages of 15 and 30 at the start of employment. One hundred per cent of the funding for not for profit has been preserved out of recognition of the valuable experience that these organizations provide.
The initiative is specifically designed to help students who are having trouble finding summer jobs because of where they live and/or other barriers. CSJ is focused on three key priorities: creating jobs that would not otherwise be created; helping students who need it the most; and providing high quality work experiences to students. CSJ will help employers create high quality, career related summer jobs for students. It takes into consideration Canada’s current strong labour market conditions.
In 2007-08, the Government of Canada will invest $85.9 million in this new initiative.
The budgets for skills link, funding activities for youth at risk, and for career focus are not affected by this announcement.