Mr. Speaker, my hometown of Duncan just took over the least coveted spot in British Columbia, the town with the highest unemployment rate. Unemployment has jumped to 11.6%, while the average in B.C. is only 6.7%.
There are many reasons why. A downturn in construction and agriculture has left many people looking for work. The high cost of the ferry service means it is less affordable to start new manufacturing anywhere on the Island. We are still waiting to hear if the government will invest in the Island corridor railway to help reduce freight costs. A ruinous forestry policy has kept local mills closed, while raw log exports continue to climb. Most disturbingly of all, youth unemployment is two times higher than the average.
Duncan has a large population under 25 years of age, many of them from the Cowichan first nation. We need to invest in these youth to ensure they have the skills to fill any available openings. The best way is a skills training program that is locally provided and focuses on the needs of the employers in the area.
Those youth are waiting for the government to take the issue of high unemployment seriously and develop a jobs plan that will help them and all others still looking for work in Duncan find a job.