Statement made on 07 March 2012 by Senator Elizabeth Hubley
Hon. Elizabeth Hubley:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Canada's youth unemployment rate is currently hovering at about 14.5 per cent, which is almost double the average Canadian unemployment rate. Combine this with the high cost of post-secondary education and it is no wonder Canadian students are deeply in debt and finding it difficult to make ends meet.
For the past 40 years, students from across the country have relied on summer student job centres, run by the Department of Human Resources, to help them find a summer job. These job centres also were a source of employment themselves as university students were hired to staff them.
To the shock of many students, the government has announced that it is shutting down the summer job centres after four decades of operation. Why is the government eliminating such an important resource for students at a time when they are facing high unemployment and increasing debt loads?
Please click here to read the full text of the Senator's question