Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to speak to an issue that is of concern to many: youth employment. This evening, I will try to use facts to properly present our position on the report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, of which I have been a member since February. The report illustrates the gravity of the situation that young people are facing. From January to August 2025, the youth unemployment rate reached an average of 14%, the highest level since 2012, excluding the COVID-19 acute phase from 2020 to 2021 and the global financial crisis in 2009. Meanwhile, the overall unemployment rate was 7.1% in July 2025. The youth unemployment rate is normally always a few points higher than the overall average, but the difference is off the charts right now. However, I am going to have to take a position straightaway in my speech on the matter of interference. Despite the topic’s importance, the government keeps carrying on as though the provinces and Quebec do not exist. The committee’s recommendations form the basis for a simple plan allowing the federal government to interfere in the area of labour while completely disregarding the existence of the agreements already signed between Quebec and Ottawa on labour training and revealing the Liberal Party of Canada’s contempt for all of Quebec’s labour market partners. A quick glance at the table of contents shows that the vast majority of the headings concern matters under Quebec’s jurisdiction. For example, there are headings such as “Skills Mismatch, Education and Training” and “Vocational, Technical and Skilled Trades Pathways”. I could go on reading from the table of contents. Outside Quebec, the federal government may play a major role in employment and workforce training, but not in Quebec. Clearly, the committee members knew how to play the game. They added “in collaboration with provinces and territories”, but this is a clear indication that the federal government wants to interfere in their jurisdictions. This wording is not a magic bullet that will protect Quebec from federal interference every time it could happen. It is imperative that the government introduce asymmetry for Quebec in order to comply with the Canada-Quebec agreement on workforce development and Quebec’s legislative authority. Let us not forget that Quebec has jurisdiction over workforce development and carries out this role in close collaboration with labour market partners within the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail. Quebec tailors its approach, as it does in many other areas, by collaborating with the community. The most striking example in this report can be found in this paragraph on page 42: On youth welfare, the committee heard that provincial responsibility for group homes and youth in care intersects with federal interests in long-term social outcomes. That is obvious, hence the idea of truly collaborating, government to government, each within its respective areas of jurisdiction. I will now address the consequences of immigration. In the House, the Conservative leader once claimed that foreign workers were coming to take jobs away from young people. This only shows that he is mixing everything up and that the issue is much more complex than that. It is true that temporary immigration has an effect on the unemployment rate, but in light of the data, this statement must be qualified. For example, according to the Desjardins study, international students are more likely to be competing with young people for jobs. The study also notes that the restrictions on international students that were lifted at the end of the pandemic—as members may recall, the government had eliminated the hourly work limits for international students—may have contributed to the rise in youth unemployment. This interpretation is supported by studies done by CIBC and the Institut du Québec. It is the influx of foreign workers with degrees that is believed to have contributed to the increase in available labour. Temporary foreign workers have less of an impact because these hires are subject to labour market impact assessments. Once again, I urge members to be cautious. After consulting with post-secondary institutions, I can say that these international students are not all here to steal jobs. They are also students who are important, particularly for the vitality of CEGEPs and universities in the regions. Once again, we need to qualify our statements. Of course immigration is far from being the only cause. It is a complex, multi-faceted issue, and it has more than a single cause. These same studies also state that the use of AI might be another factor that is contributing to rising youth unemployment in particular. In fact, this is mentioned in the report, in recommendation 6. Studies have also found that policies aimed at addressing demographic decline should help reduce youth unemployment, while noting that youth unemployment is particularly sensitive to overall economic conditions. That explains why the youth unemployment rate is still high right now despite the policies currently in place. The tariff war with the United States has exacerbated Canada’s economic situation and increased unemployment. This is also identified as one of the causes in the report. Take the forestry sector, for example. Quebec needs support measures other than loans. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister and the Premier of Ontario announced a new action plan to protect workers from tariffs and strengthen Ontario industries. They announced billions of dollars for Ontario, but there was nothing for the forestry sector. Then again, that comes as no surprise. It has always been that way. What we actually need to do is address low wages and inflation, because socio-economic factors also contribute to youth unemployment. More specifically, with respect to education, in the 2026 spring budget update, the government promised funding for team Canada strong, but Quebec has yet to receive that money, which would help create more training opportunities in the skilled trades. I will digress for a moment because this echoes Bill C‑266, a bill that aligns with Ottawa’s traditional centralizing approach and conflicts with Quebec’s desire to maintain control over its own vocational training and labour market. The bill creates a federal framework in an area that falls under provincial jurisdiction, namely training, certification and labour market regulation. This opens the door to more permanent encroachment, despite the preamble’s dubious claim about respecting jurisdiction. By requiring the minister to compile a complete list of skilled trades across Canada and map equivalencies, Ottawa is essentially assuming the role of the national authority on trades. This is no mere voluntary coordination role. It positions the federal government as the arbiter of provincial standards. Under the guise of harmonization and reducing regulatory duplication, the federal government is giving itself a tool to put pressure on provinces that maintain higher requirements. This will jeopardize the standards of quality, safety and working conditions that have been established by Quebec institutions such as the Commission de la construction du Québec, or CCQ, Emploi-Québec and sector-specific organizations. The bill offers no explicit guarantee that provincial standards will take precedence in the event of a conflict between a national framework and Quebec’s professional qualification regime. This leaves the door wide open for a standards downgrade that lowers Quebec’s requirements to the level of a potential minimum Canadian standard. Along with Bill C‑5 and the rhetoric about one Canadian economy, Bill C‑266 is part of a strong trend of Ottawa exploiting the argument of internal free trade and labour shortages to centralize power over standards, qualifications and mobility, at the expense of the autonomy of Quebec and the provinces. The Liberal government subscribes to this vision. In the 2026 spring economic update, it stated that it wanted to launch an initiative called “Team Canada Strong” to recruit, train and hire 80,000 to 100,000 new Red Seal skilled trades workers by 2030-31, with the goal of providing young Canadians with paid pathways to jobs in housing construction, major infrastructure and defence projects at speed and scale. The 2026 spring economic update proposed providing $2 billion over five years, starting in 2026-27, and $262 million a year ongoing. In committee, during the study of these bills, we were told that the funding has yet to be distributed. The Government of Quebec, notably through its former minister of employment and labour, denounced these intrusions at the time and reminded the federal government that workforce training falls under provincial jurisdiction and that Quebec already had its own programs. It should be noted that, in Canada, credential recognition is primarily the responsibility of the provinces and territories, which have jurisdiction over regulating professions and trades and issuing licences to practise. Approximately 20% of jobs are in regulated professions or trades, where the use of a professional title and the performance of certain activities are restricted to individuals who hold a licence or certificate of qualification. In practical terms, more than 400 regulatory bodies, professional orders, colleges and apprenticeship authorities, as well as more than 200 post-secondary institutions, apply these rules and assess credentials and skills. I could draw a lot of parallels between the bill and the report that we are examining in the House this evening. However, I will now wrap up this long tangent on Bill C-266, which I have heard a lot about lately, by saying that we just heard from witnesses and that we will discuss it further and submit a report. I will now talk about work-life-study balance. That is also an important issue when it comes to youth employment. We need to give this some serious thought. Debt has an impact on youth employment, as do discrimination against minorities, indigenous peoples and women and the lack of protection and recognition for non-standard jobs. Inflation and low wages also have an impact. Finally, economic uncertainty can negatively affect hiring or result in layoffs for low-income workers. In fact, the government addresses that last point in its response: The Government of Canada understands that weak productivity growth, high operating costs, and taxation can reduce firms’ ability to invest, expand, and create jobs. As a result, businesses may be less likely to hire and create new opportunities, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing and natural resources. Before concluding my remarks, I would like to take a few minutes to discuss the report and the study in general. While they are obviously relevant, the lack of political will to acknowledge Quebec’s asymmetry prevents us from finding lasting solutions to many aspects of the problem. The federal government bears its share of responsibility and acknowledges this: economic uncertainty, inflation, a housing shortage, and reduced transfers, among other issues. However, unless and until the Government of Canada sits down in good faith with its counterparts in Quebec and the provinces to discuss joint solutions within each of their jurisdictions, the situation is likely to remain at a standstill. I would like to make one final point. We will at least try to identify some solutions. Let us remember that, tonight, we are talking about a generation that works hard, studies hard and wants to contribute to society, yet is increasingly struggling to carve out a place in today’s economy. Let us also bear in mind that the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities’ report on youth employment is troubling. The report notes that the youth unemployment rate reached an average of 14% in 2025, its highest level in more than a decade, excluding the pandemic. The committee also heard that full-time students are facing particularly difficult circumstances and that summer jobs are becoming increasingly scarce. I would like to take this opportunity to remind employers that the application period for the Canada summer jobs program opens today and runs until December 3. I encourage employers to take advantage of this program, which could help young people get some work experience for the first time. This program could help them. Every year, we are told that the amounts could be increased because this program is popular with both young people and employers. This is a concrete example of an area where the federal government could take action. It could also enhance the program a little. It has already done so, but it could do more to recognize the difficult employment situation young people are facing. Once again, I will leave that aside for now and encourage employers to apply for this program. Meanwhile, as we know, the cost of living is skyrocketing. Young people are facing unaffordable rent, unstable jobs, underpaid internships, difficulty accessing EI, and financial pressures that are delaying their life plans. The Bloc Québécois believes that this situation must be taken seriously. First of all, we believe that the realities of Quebec and the regions must be recognized. The report clearly shows that realities vary greatly from province to province and even from region to region. In Quebec, some regions are near full employment while others, such as the Gaspé Peninsula and the Magdalen Islands, have much higher youth unemployment rates. That is why Ottawa’s one-size-fits-all solutions do not work. Instead, the Bloc Québécois is calling for increased transfers and greater flexibility for Quebec, measures tailored to regional realities, more support for Quebec’s small and medium-sized businesses, and targeted investments in sectors that create high-quality jobs. We also believe that young workers in non-standard and seasonal employment must be protected. The report points out that many young people fall into the EI spring gap and that the current criteria no longer reflect the reality of modern jobs. That is yet another reason why the Bloc Québécois is reintroducing a bill to overhaul EI and modernize it so it aligns with the current labour market. That is coming soon. That is why the Bloc Québécois is pushing for comprehensive EI reform to incorporate a more accessible universal eligibility threshold and better protection for part-time, seasonal workers and workers with multiple jobs. The real problem is that the federal government has failed to properly plan for housing, infrastructure, economic integration and regional labour needs. Lastly, the Bloc Québécois believes that young people deserve the opportunity to study, find suitable housing, work and build a decent future. These days, too many young people feel like they are working hard without really getting ahead. We have a collective responsibility to restore their faith in the future.
