Meeting 7 · October 7, 2025 · 11:02–13:18 (2h 16m)
45-17 witnesses · 111 interventions · 17,715 words
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities met on October 7, 2025, to study youth employment in Canada. Witnesses appearing were Heather Exner-Pirot from the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Milan Bernard from the National Council of Unemployed Workers, Nicholas Salter and Morgan Gagnon from the Provincial Employment Roundtable, Renze Nauta from Cardus, Catherine Swift from the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada, and Sarah Watts-Rynard from Polytechnics Canada.
Heather Exner-Pirot argued that high youth unemployment stems from a weak economy and insufficient hiring by firms, not a lack of programs. She said the energy and natural resources sectors have driven past employment growth but now face investment weakness due to Canada’s regulatory environment, which dissuades private capital. She recommended creating a more welcoming investment climate to unleash capital spending and jobs, especially in rural and remote areas, and urged valuing skilled trades to attract youth away from university-only pathways.
Milan Bernard said youth unemployment is worsened by the U.S. trade war and criticized the government for cutting student jobs and not extending temporary employment insurance measures that provide broader eligibility, set to expire October 11. He argued that focusing support on long-tenured workers discriminates against youth, seasonal workers, and part-time women workers. He called for permanent improvements to employment insurance, including expanded eligibility, flexible penalties, and better benefits for family caregivers.
Nicholas Salter and Morgan Gagnon presented research on English-speaking youth in Quebec, who face unemployment rates nearly double those of French-speaking peers, with gaps widening in rural regions. They said three-quarters of surveyed youth find the job market discouraging, with French proficiency a key barrier, and that federal and provincial programs often fail to reach these communities. They recommended stronger federal-provincial coordination, programs integrating language learning with job support, and scaling community-led models across Canada.
Renze Nauta said work contributes to human dignity beyond financial gain, and that a significant portion of Canada’s working class is over-credentialed for their jobs, with the share holding a university degree doubling from 9% to 19% between 2006 and 2024. He argued this fuels frustration and credential inflation, and recommended reorienting education systems to better align with labour market needs, promoting co-op programs, and supporting lifelong learning and microcredentials.
Catherine Swift said small and medium-sized businesses, which often provide first jobs for youth, have been hurt by higher taxes, regulatory burdens, and a sluggish economy driven by bad policy. She criticized the expansion of government employment at the expense of the private sector, abuse of temporary foreign worker and student visa programs, and an education system that neglects basic skills. She called for reducing overall taxation, especially payroll taxes, and eliminating most government programs.
Sarah Watts-Rynard said polytechnics deliver programs aligned with 86% of the top 100 in-demand jobs, with over 90% of graduates employed within six months. She noted that only 9% of federal student work placement funding supports college-level diploma students and recommended better targeting of that program to workforce needs. She also suggested strengthening labour market development agreements with provinces and enriching student grants when youth unemployment hits prescribed levels.
During questions, witnesses disagreed on some points. Exner-Pirot and Swift argued that Canada’s economic problems are self-inflicted by poor policy, while a Liberal member countered that Canada has the highest credit rating and lowest debt in the G7. Swift and Nauta both criticized over-credentialing and the undervaluing of trades, with Nauta emphasizing that market signals, not government messaging, should guide career choices. Salter and Gagnon stressed that tailored supports for minority-language youth are essential, while Bernard and Nauta highlighted the need for a robust social safety net alongside workforce training.
The committee briefly debated a motion to direct analysts to prepare a draft travel proposal based on informal feedback, which was agreed to by unanimous consent, with a request to discuss it further at the next meeting.
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Heather Exner-Pirot
Director, Energy, Natural Resources and Environment, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
Opening remarks
Thank you, Chair and committee members, for the opportunity to speak to you today. I think everyone across the political spectrum can unite around the goal of lowering youth employment, which stands at a historically high level of 14.5%. As we all understand, in practice that translates into—
Milan Bernard
Co-spokesperson, National Council of Unemployed Workers
Opening remarks
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the members for giving me the opportunity to address them. I am speaking today as co-spokesperson of the Conseil national des chômeurs et chômeuses, which represents organizations that defend the rights of the unemployed, help workers on the ground and advocate for major improvements to the employment insurance program. Today I will focus on two key elements. First, I should point out that youth employment is an important economic indicator. The current situation is mainly a result of extreme instability and uncertainty due in large part to the trade war with the United States. In other words, there is a crisis. When employers have to cut staff, they target the newest hires, who are often young people. Worse, they're not hiring anyone new. As a result, young people are being left in the lurch. I really need to emphasize that it is alarming to see that the government is really not leading by example in cutting 2,000 student jobs in the public service and by making workforce cuts that specifically affect young people. Youth employment and access to good jobs are being undermined. Skills transfer is being undermined. The public service is also…
Nicholas Salter
Executive Director, Provincial Employment Roundtable
Opening remarks
Good morning, Mr. Chair, vice-chairs and honourable members of the committee. Thank you for the invitation to appear today and contribute to this discussion on youth employment in Canada. My name is Nicholas Salter. I'm the executive director of the Provincial Employment Roundtable, otherwise known as PERT. I'm joined by my colleague Morgan Gagnon, our director of policy and research. PERT is a non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the economic and employment outcomes of Quebec's English-speaking communities through evidence-based research and policy recommendations. I'm here today to establish that our community's youth and PERT's work to understand and serve them are a case study for the types of targeted support that diverse groups of Canadian youth need to flourish in the labour market. One-size-fits-all solutions will not get the job done. Responsive interventions designed and delivered by community organizations are key. Let me explain what I mean. In Quebec, English-speaking youth sit at the intersection of two vulnerable populations in the workforce, youth and official language minorities. They experience the same labour market detachment, uncertainty and…
Morgan Gagnon
Director of Policy and Research, Provincial Employment Roundtable
Opening remarks
Thank you, Nick. Yes, here in Quebec we have a wonderful model, through our CPMT structures, that brings together labour market groups representing industry, regions and different vulnerable workers in the labour force. I think that is a meaningful intervention that gets everybody around the table talking about the same topic. In this context, that enables us, at the provincial level, to have the interests of youth groups, of industry and of the regions, for example, come together to talk about what specific skills mismatches might look like in the region. From our lens, when we're talking about the English-speaking community in particular, that training also always needs a linguistic component to ensure our youth are able to integrate successfully into the predominantly francophone market. That's something that's mirrored for francophone youth in the rest of Canada. It's a common thread for some immigrant youth as well, in that attention to the specific context the youth are facing and that they need addressed in order to integrate into their local labour market so that they don't, as Heather mentioned, have to move great distances. They're able to stay rooted in their…
Renze Nauta
Program Director, Work and Economics, Cardus
Opening remarks
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am Renze Nauta, and I'm representing Cardus, a public policy think tank, where I run a research program on work and economics. All of our work at Cardus is centred on the idea that every person has fundamental human dignity, and that public policy should reflect that fact. In employment policy, this requires a recognition of the dignity of work and the fact that work is about more than just money. Of course there is a financial component to work, as people bring home paycheques to support themselves and their families, and there is dignity in that, but even more fundamentally, the dignity of work means that the work itself, not just the paycheque, contributes to that person's flourishing. Everyone has something that they can offer—a talent or gift, and their time. Work is about putting those at the service of others. This is ultimately what gives work its meaning, and it is through this gift of one's services that people connect with their community and help it to flourish. In other words, work makes people better people, and the data back this up. Cardus research shows that people who are employed have better physical and mental health, have stronger…
Catherine Swift
President, Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada
Opening remarks
Thank you. My coalition, the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada, mostly represents small and medium-sized business across Canada. As you may know, many young people find their first jobs in a small business. This sector is a very important contributor to providing jobs for youth and setting young people on the path for a successful career and life. The past decade has not been a good time for small firms. They have faced higher taxes, increased regulatory burden and a sluggish economy, dragged down by bad government policy. Other countries have performed much better than Canada under the same global circumstances, which shows that our economic problems are self-inflicted. The massive expansion of the public sector at the expense of private sector growth has also meant an increased cost burden on the private sector and damaged our economic productivity. From 2019 to 2023, government employment grew by 13.3%, while the private sector grew by a mere 3.6%. The private sector, of course, pays for government. Naturally, this is not a sustainable path in future to have the money-consuming sector exceed the money-producing sector. As many people have pointed…
Sarah Watts-Rynard
Chief Executive Officer, Polytechnics Canada
Opening remarks
Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for the invitation to provide testimony to support your study on youth employment in Canada. I represent an association made up of Canada's polytechnics and institutes of technology. These institutions are leaders in the college sector, delivering hands-on training and experiential learning to nearly half of Canada's college population. They deliver advanced technical and technological education in close collaboration with industry. In fact, a study that we conducted in collaboration with The Conference Board of Canada earlier this year determined these institutions deliver programs that prepare graduates for 86% of the top 100 jobs in highest demand requiring post-secondary credentials. The report illustrates strong labour market alignment in fields including health care, the skilled trades, advanced technology, and tourism and hospitality. These sectors consistently struggle to fill vacancies, and there's compelling evidence that polytechnic grads are in high demand. To keep the talent pipeline strong, business partners regularly donate equipment, participate in classroom instruction and provide sizable philanthropic gifts. In 2025…