Discussion · Orders of the Day
Sandra Cobena Conservative
“I want the government to agree to this committee report. Young people face a jobs crisis. The government should cut taxes and rules so businesses can hire again. It should link immigration to available jobs and homes. It should also bring back grants for apprentices, fund work placements, and help workers find homes they can afford.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Bowmanville—Oshawa North. Today’s debate is about whether young Canadians have a fair chance to get started in life. Too many young Canadians are sending out resumes and knocking on doors, but every day, they are finding that no one is calling them back and no one is hiring them. How are they supposed to build a future if they cannot get their first chance? I have a youth advisory council, and its members said to me that they feel as though they are on a bus that is driven by someone who does not look back to ask where the passengers want to go. All they can do is sit on the bus and look out the window. This is quite telling, but I have a message to these young Canadians: They deserve a seat on the bus, and they deserve to have a say as to where the bus is headed. Members of the House believe that their contributions, their insights as to what policies are best to help them are incredibly valuable. Let us imagine spending our last year of school looking forward to graduating, only to face months of unanswered job applications. The latest labour force survey shows that Canada lost 68,000 jobs in September alone, following another 42,000 lost in August. That is 110,000 fewer jobs in just two months. Youth unemployment stood at 13%. Employment among young Canadians aged 15 to 24 fell by 48,000 people in September alone. Let us think about the student who needs shifts in order to pay for school, or a graduate who keeps sending out résumés while the student loan payments are coming due. For young people, it often means putting off buying a home or starting a family. Young couples are putting their lives on hold. After months of unanswered applications, it is hard not to lose confidence. This is being felt close to home as well. York Region reports that the average monthly number of people receiving employment insurance rose by more than 56% between 2023 and 2025. That is 56% more families trying to pay their bills while also looking for work. The region’s review also found that although new job postings increased between December 2024 and December 2025, the share offering full-time work fell from 84% to 75%. Finding a posting and finding enough dependable work to pay one’s bills are two very different things. Young people should have the chance to save, become independent and build a future in their own community. I was door knocking in my riding of Newmarket—Aurora and met a young welder who was living in his parents’ basement. He said that he makes a good living but still cannot afford to buy a house. He wants to be independent. He wants to start his life, but he does not want to have to live two to three hours away from his parents. He wants to stay close to home and build a family in his own community, but it is nearly impossible for him to do that today. As a mother, I want my children to have that chance of building a future here in Canada. As a member of Parliament, I want every young person in Newmarket—Aurora and across this country to have that chance as well. A young Canadian cannot get a job at a business that cannot afford to hire one. That is why an employment plan has to address the costs facing the people who create those jobs. A small business owner has to make payroll every month before hiring another person. They need to know that they can afford to pay them. If the government wants young Canadians to be working, it needs to make it easier to open a business, to build a project or to hire another employee. The committee’s first recommendation calls for reducing taxes and red tape. Conservatives have proposed a youth jobs plan that starts with getting the economy moving by repealing antiresource laws, reducing taxes that discourage reinvestment and removing the red tape that is holding back homebuilding and business growth. We want businesses investing in Canada, taking on more work and hiring our people to do it. The report also calls on the government to consider jobs and housing when setting immigration levels, and to help qualified newcomers work in the field they have expertise in. We should not be inviting someone here with professional qualifications only to leave them unable to work in their profession. It is also unfair to young people when the government fails to consider how many entry-level jobs and homes are actually available. A young person looking for their first job and a newcomer trying to use their qualifications both deserve a fair chance to contribute and to build a career. The government needs to plan around the jobs and housing available and to work with the provinces to get qualified people working in their field. We also have to make sure that training leads to work. Young people put years into their education. Many take on debt, and many have their family make sacrifices to help them. Recommendation 10 calls for training funding to go to programs that actually help young people find work. If a program is not delivering, the government should not put money in that program but should direct that money to the program where it will give someone a better chance of getting hired. Our plan would give students more financial help if they choose to study in a field where employers need workers. That means looking at actual job market data and helping young Canadians train for jobs that need to be filled. Young Canadians also keep hearing that they need experience to get their first job. How are they supposed to get experience if they do not get a chance in the first place? The report recommends more student work placements and stable funding for the student work placement program, a program I benefited from when I was in university, in fact. That would help students get experience with an employer while they are still in school so they have something on their résumé when they graduate. Another recommendation suggests bringing back grants that help apprentices pay for their training. If we need more electricians, carpenters or plumbers, we must ensure that the young people entering those trades can finish the training. However, even with the right training and a job offer, there is another layer of complication, another challenge, which is to find somewhere to live. If a young person is willing to move for work but cannot find a home they can afford, how are they supposed to take the job? The report recommends studying a tax write-off for employers that build housing for their workers. My children are little, and I do not know where life will take them in terms of their careers, but I want them to know that they can build a good life here in the country we love, Canada. Young Canadians should be able to look forward to their future instead of wondering whether they will ever be able to afford it. The report gives the government clear recommendations it can act on now to make it easier for businesses to hire, help students get work experience, support apprentices through their training and help workers find housing where the jobs are. Young Canadians should be able to build a future in the country they call home. They are willing to work for it. it is time the government stopped making it harder for them.”
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Bowmanville—Oshawa North. Today’s debate is about whether young Canadians have a fair chance to get started in life. Too many young Canadians are sending out resumes and knocking on doors, but every day, they are finding that no one is calling them back and no one is hiring them. How are they supposed to build a future if they cannot get their first chance? I have a youth advisory council, and its members said to me that they feel as though they are on a bus that is driven by someone who does not look back to ask where the passengers want to go. All they can do is sit on the bus and look out the window. This is quite telling, but I have a message to these young Canadians: They deserve a seat on the bus, and they deserve to have a say as to where the bus is headed. Members of the House believe that their contributions, their insights as to what policies are best to help them are incredibly valuable. Let us imagine spending our last year of school looking forward to graduating, only to face months of unanswered job applications. The latest labour force survey shows that Canada lost 68,000 jobs in September alone, following another 42,000 lost in August. That is 110,000 fewer jobs in just two months. Youth unemployment stood at 13%. Employment among young Canadians aged 15 to 24 fell by 48,000 people in September alone. Let us think about the student who needs shifts in order to pay for school, or a graduate who keeps sending out résumés while the student loan payments are coming due. For young people, it often means putting off buying a home or starting a family. Young couples are putting their lives on hold. After months of unanswered applications, it is hard not to lose confidence. This is being felt close to home as well. York Region reports that the average monthly number of people receiving employment insurance rose by more than 56% between 2023 and 2025. That is 56% more families trying to pay their bills while also looking for work. The region’s review also found that although new job postings increased between December 2024 and December 2025, the share offering full-time work fell from 84% to 75%. Finding a posting and finding enough dependable work to pay one’s bills are two very different things. Young people should have the chance to save, become independent and build a future in their own community. I was door knocking in my riding of Newmarket—Aurora and met a young welder who was living in his parents’ basement. He said that he makes a good living but still cannot afford to buy a house. He wants to be independent. He wants to start his life, but he does not want to have to live two to three hours away from his parents. He wants to stay close to home and build a family in his own community, but it is nearly impossible for him to do that today. As a mother, I want my children to have that chance of building a future here in Canada. As a member of Parliament, I want every young person in Newmarket—Aurora and across this country to have that chance as well. A young Canadian cannot get a job at a business that cannot afford to hire one. That is why an employment plan has to address the costs facing the people who create those jobs. A small business owner has to make payroll every month before hiring another person. They need to know that they can afford to pay them. If the government wants young Canadians to be working, it needs to make it easier to open a business, to build a project or to hire another employee. The committee’s first recommendation calls for reducing taxes and red tape. Conservatives have proposed a youth jobs plan that starts with getting the economy moving by repealing antiresource laws, reducing taxes that discourage reinvestment and removing the red tape that is holding back homebuilding and business growth. We want businesses investing in Canada, taking on more work and hiring our people to do it. The report also calls on the government to consider jobs and housing when setting immigration levels, and to help qualified newcomers work in the field they have expertise in. We should not be inviting someone here with professional qualifications only to leave them unable to work in their profession. It is also unfair to young people when the government fails to consider how many entry-level jobs and homes are actually available. A young person looking for their first job and a newcomer trying to use their qualifications both deserve a fair chance to contribute and to build a career. The government needs to plan around the jobs and housing available and to work with the provinces to get qualified people working in their field. We also have to make sure that training leads to work. Young people put years into their education. Many take on debt, and many have their family make sacrifices to help them. Recommendation 10 calls for training funding to go to programs that actually help young people find work. If a program is not delivering, the government should not put money in that program but should direct that money to the program where it will give someone a better chance of getting hired. Our plan would give students more financial help if they choose to study in a field where employers need workers. That means looking at actual job market data and helping young Canadians train for jobs that need to be filled. Young Canadians also keep hearing that they need experience to get their first job. How are they supposed to get experience if they do not get a chance in the first place? The report recommends more student work placements and stable funding for the student work placement program, a program I benefited from when I was in university, in fact. That would help students get experience with an employer while they are still in school so they have something on their résumé when they graduate. Another recommendation suggests bringing back grants that help apprentices pay for their training. If we need more electricians, carpenters or plumbers, we must ensure that the young people entering those trades can finish the training. However, even with the right training and a job offer, there is another layer of complication, another challenge, which is to find somewhere to live. If a young person is willing to move for work but cannot find a home they can afford, how are they supposed to take the job? The report recommends studying a tax write-off for employers that build housing for their workers. My children are little, and I do not know where life will take them in terms of their careers, but I want them to know that they can build a good life here in the country we love, Canada. Young Canadians should be able to look forward to their future instead of wondering whether they will ever be able to afford it. The report gives the government clear recommendations it can act on now to make it easier for businesses to hire, help students get work experience, support apprentices through their training and help workers find housing where the jobs are. Young Canadians should be able to build a future in the country they call home. They are willing to work for it. it is time the government stopped making it harder for them.