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Our five-point plan for Canadian Youth

“We can create a bright future for Canada’s youth –without raising your taxes – if we stop corporate give-aways,turn the page on wasteful spending like $30-billion fighter jets, and focus on what really matters: giving every Canadian the tools to succeed in the years ahead.

1. Learning Passport

The new Learning Passport will open the doors for every young Canadian who wants to go to college or university, and help every family struggling to save enough to pay for it – if you get the grades, you get to go:

  • $1,000 a year over four years for every high school student in Canada to use when they go to college or university, or $4,000 in total.
  • For students in low income families, the amount will be $1,500 year, or an extra $6,000 in total.
On May 2nd you have a chance to shape Canada's future. Commit to vote for the Canadian Learning Passport

2. Aboriginal Learning

To help more Aboriginal students enter and graduate from post-secondary education, a Liberal government will:

  • Lift the 2% cap on Aboriginal post-secondary education funding, and increase funding for the program by $200 million over the next two years; and
  • Establish a new national Métis scholarship program to help Métis students across the country to access post-secondary education.
On May 2nd you have a chance to shape Canada's future. Commit to vote for Aboriginal Learning

3. Tackling youth unemployment

Youth unemployment is almost double the national average. To combat youth unemployment, a Liberal government will implement a Youth Hiring Incentive, granting companies a 100% rebate on EI premiums for every new young Canadian they hire. This will help small and medium businesses create up to 170,000 new jobs for young Canadians.

On May 2nd you have a chance to shape Canada's future. Commit to vote for the Youth Hiring Incentive

4. Youth volunteers: a new Canada Service Corps

A Liberal government will create a new Canada Service Corps so young Canadians volunteering at home and overseas can apply their skills towards solving some of the world’s most urgent problems:

  • Create meaningful volunteer opportunities at home and abroad for young people graduating from postsecondary education; and
  • Forgive $1500 in Canada Student Loans for young Canadians who donate at least 150 hours of service in a year within a Canada Service Corps position.
On May 2nd you have a chance to shape Canada's future. Commit to vote for the Canada Service Corps

5. Respecting and renewing our democracy

Canada’s youngest voters have consistently had the lowest voter turnout. It’s time to harness the power of the internet to bring democratic participation closer to citizens. A Liberal government will:

  • Direct Elections Canada to develop an online voting option, starting with pilot projects including for postsecondary students living outside their ridings, to start a discussion about an internet voting option for every voter;
  • Commit to open government so that as much government information as possible is available to the public online; and
  • Hold a weekly “People’s Question Period” to allow Canadians to directly engage the prime minister and cabinet ministers with unfiltered questions. As prime minister, Michael Ignatieff will take part in People’s Question Period every month.
On May 2nd you have a chance to shape Canada's future. Commit to vote for a People's Question Period