The federal government is boosting the size of its Canada Summer Jobs program.
At an announcement in Thunder Bay Friday afternoon, federal jobs minister Patty Hajdu said the youth employment initiative would be adding an extra 6,000 jobs this summer, on top of the already-planned 70,000.
“Young people have always had a higher unemployment rate, and now they’re facing an uncertain economy,” said Hajdu in an interview after speaking at Watay Power, which plans to hire four youths as part of the program.
In addition to the trade war prompted by tariffs from U.S. president Donald Trump, the nature of work is changing in ways that make it even harder for young Canadians to find jobs, Hajdu said.
The types of entry level jobs students and other young people typically used to do are vanishing, thanks to online retailing, automation, and artificial intelligence, Hajdu argued.
“The other piece that is freaking a lot of people out is the rise of AI. Those are deeply worrying, in terms of the future of work at the skill level that youth are typically at. It’s structural,” said Hajdu.
The Canada Summer Jobs program aims to give young people crucial experience as they start their their working life, Hajdu said.
And it’s something that also helps employers, said the head of Watay Power.
“There is a huge need to recruit and retain professionals and create a stronger workforce in many sectors. A strong commitment will be needed to achieve this. We appreciate the Canada Summer Jobs program funding that has assisted Wataynikaneyap Power in hiring five students since 2022,” said Watay Power CEO Margaret Kenequanash in a written statement. “Our Peoples’ vision is to create hope and opportunities for our youth while following Wataynikaneyap Power’s Guiding Principles.”
Watay is a Thunder Bay-based power transmission company that is majority owned by 24 First Nations. Fortis Inc. and other private investors have a 49 per cent stake in the company. The company runs the Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project, which aims to connect 17 remote communities in Northwestern Ontario which are currently supplied by diesel power.
The Canada Summer Jobs program, which began in 2019, is run through funding from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
The program is open to applicants between the age of 15 and 30, and includes jobs in a wide variety of fields ranging from construction, to tourism and hospitality. Available jobs are listed on the program’s website (https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/youth) and mobile app (https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/mobileapp).
The expansion announced Friday will cost an additional $25 million that was reallocated from other parts of ESDC’s budget.
In May, the national unemployment rate was 7.0 per cent, the highest its been since 2016, aside from during the global COVID-19 pandemic. For students between 15 and 24 planning to return to school in the fall, the unemployment rate was 20.1 per cent, up from 16.9 per cent last May.
