Additional funding will provide young Canadians with a unique opportunity to work in both official languages while supporting innovation and the creation of green jobs

“Our official languages are at the heart of who we are. This unprecedented investment will provide young Canadians from linguistic minority settings as well as those looking to increase their bilingualism with enriching work experiences, while equipping them with the skills they need to build a greener, stronger Canada. This will help support the development and vitality of our official languages for years to come.”

—The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

“As the green economy and the environment are central to the concerns of young people, the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française is delighted by the federal government’s commitment to make this sector a priority through one of its summer employment programs. This additional funding to Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages will allow a greater number of young Canadians to benefit from summer employment opportunities in our two official languages.”

—Justin Johnson, President, Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française

“The Conseil de la coopération de l’Ontario is very pleased to receive supplementary support through Canadian Heritage’s Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages program. This additional funding will be used to subsidize environmentally friendly seasonal jobs—so-called ‘green’ jobs. It will also allow our communities to better position and equip themselves as they undergo this country’s environmental transition.”

—Luc Morin, Executive Director, Conseil de la coopération de l’Ontario

“The Conseil économique et coopératif de la Saskatchewan, the organization that delivers the Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages program in the Prairies and Northern Region, would like to thank Canadian Heritage for the additional funding provided for green jobs. This support will help employers with projects that focus on the importance of the environment and its conservation. It will also give young students the opportunity to work in the environmental sector. They will be able to use the knowledge they have acquired to encourage environmental awareness in their own lives and in the communities where they work.”

—Robert Thérien, Executive Director, Conseil économique et coopératif de la Saskatchewan

• Canadian Heritage ensures implementation of part of the Youth Employment Strategy through the Young Canada Works program. This summer jobs program provides eligible employers with salary grants and access to a pool of talented young candidates who have competitive skills and are capable of innovative ideas.

• Canadian Heritage’s Official Languages Branch delivers two components of the Young Canada Works program:

  • Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages, which creates summer job opportunities for secondary and postsecondary students in an official languages environment;
  • Young Canada Works at Building Careers in English and French, which creates international internship opportunities for recent graduates, so young people can acquire experience focused on a career.

• Canadian Heritage funds youth programs that support a range of objectives, including engagement, attachment to Canada, inclusion, linguistic duality, the arts, and heritage. The Department invests almost $75 million a year to give more than 800,000 young people the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of Canada and their participation in our society.

• In the 2017 budget, the Youth Employment Strategy received a supplemental investment of $395 million over three years, starting in 2017-2018. The budget provides increased job opportunities for young people in the heritage sector as well as many green jobs in an official languages environment, through the Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages initiative.

• Green jobs are those in organizations or companies specifically active in the green economy, and those in organizations and companies outside the environmental sector but requiring special skills to produce an environmental benefit for the organization, its users, or the community as a whole.

• The Youth Employment Strategy is the Government of Canada’s commitment to help young people—especially those facing obstacles to employment—obtain information and acquire the qualifications, work experience and abilities needed for a successful transition to the labour market. The Youth Employment Strategy is a horizontal initiative involving 11 federal departments and organizations.

Associated Links

• Young Canada Works
• Youth Employment Strategy

For more information (media only), please contact:

Pierre-Olivier Herbert
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
819-997-7788

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca