Minister Vandal Highlights Budget 2021 Investments to Support Young Canadians in Yukon

OTTAWA, ON, April 28, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Budget 2021 is the Government of Canada's plan to finish the fight against COVID-19 and ensure a robust economic recovery that is inclusive of all Canadians.

Today, Minister of Northern Affairs, the Honourable Daniel Vandal, met with a group of young people and youth organizations in Yukon to discuss investments in education, climate change, and health and well-being, with a focus on Indigenous and northern youth, from Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience.    

The COVID-19 recession is the steepest and fastest economic contraction since the Great Depression. It has disproportionately affected low-wage workers, young people, women, and racialized Canadians. Budget 2021 is an historic investment to address the specific wounds of the COVID-19 recession, put people first, create jobs, provide opportunities for young people, grow the middle class, set businesses on a track for long-term growth, and ensure that Canada's future will be healthier, more equitable, greener, and more prosperous.

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many young people have been isolated at a time of life normally marked by studying, vibrant and growing social lives, travel, and a variety of crucial work experiences that help them find their path. Young people are among the hardest and fastest hit by the pandemic—experiencing more job losses than any other age demographic and the worst decline in mental health of any age group. Young Canadians must be at the centre of our recovery, not only to help them rebound today, but also to invest in their future success and the future success of our economy.

Budget 2021 is a plan to bridge Canadians and Canadian businesses through the crisis and toward a robust recovery. It proposes to extend business and income support measures through to the fall and to make investments to create jobs and help businesses across the economy come roaring back. It will support almost 500,000 new training and work opportunities, including 215,000 opportunities for youth; support businesses in our most affected sectors, such as tourism and arts and culture; and accelerate investment and digital transformation at small and medium-sized businesses. Budget 2021 is a plan that puts Canada on track to meet its commitment to create 1 million jobs by the end of the year.

Canada entered the pandemic in a strong fiscal position. This allowed the government to take quick and decisive action by supporting people and businesses, and put it in the position to make historic investments in the recovery.

Quotes

"Budget 2021 is an historic investment to help the people in Canada's North—especially young people and Indigenous Peoples—surmount the obstacles that have put them at a disadvantage; improve health, education, and well-being; and spur economic growth and innovation. Our government will continue to be there to work with partners, support young people, and address issues that matter to them, and today's discussion was an opportunity to hear directly from young Yukoners."

The Honourable Daniel Vandal, P.C., M.P.

Minister of Northern Affairs

"Young Yukoners are among the hardest hit by the pandemic—experiencing more job losses than any other age demographic. With Budget 2021, our government is making historic investments to address those hit hardest by the COVID-19 recession. We are creating jobs; providing opportunities for young people; and ensuring that Canada is more equitable, greener and prosperous for the next generations."

The Honourable Larry Bagnell,

Member of Parliament for Yukon and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency)

Quick facts

• Budget 2021 includes $101.4 billion over three years in proposed investments as part of the Government of Canada's growth plan that will create good jobs and support a resilient and inclusive recovery. Key measures include the following:
• Investing $4.1 billion to help make post-secondary education more affordable and provide direct support to students with the greatest need. This includes doubling the Canada Student Grants for two additional years, waiving interest on federal student loans until March 31, 2023, enhancing repayment assistance so that no person earning $40,000 per year or less will be required to make any payments on their federal student loans, and extending disability supports for recipients of student financial assistance whose disabilities are persistent or prolonged, but not necessarily permanent.
• $721 million over the next two years to help connect youth and students with employers and provide them with over 100,000 new, quality job opportunities.
• $708 million over five years, starting in 2021–22, to create at least 85,000 work-integrated learning placements that provide on-the-job learning and provide businesses with support to develop talent and grow.
• $470 million over three years, beginning in 2021–22, to establish a new Apprenticeship Service that will help 55,000 first-year apprentices in construction and manufacturing Red Seal trades connect with opportunities at small and medium-sized employers, and provide an extra incentive for employers to hire women, racialized Canadians, and persons with disabilities.
• $150.6 million over two years, starting in 2021–22, to support Indigenous students through the Post-Secondary Student Support Program and the Inuit and Métis Nation Post-Secondary Education Strategies.
• $26.4 million for 2021–22 to support Indigenous-established post-secondary education institutions and Indigenous-directed community-based programming in adapting and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• $112 million in 2021–22 to support First Nations-led community measures for a safe return to school on reserves. This funding will provide First Nations communities with the flexibility needed to design and implement community-based approaches to prevent, prepare, and respond to the spread of COVID-19 within their communities as schools resume in September 2021.
• $726 million over five years, starting in 2021–22, and $181.8 million ongoing, to support First Nations partners in adapting elementary and secondary education funding to meet local First Nations' needs, enhancing funding formulas in critical areas such as student transportation, ensuring that funding for First Nations schools remains predictable from year to year, and increasing First Nations control over First Nations education by concluding more Regional Education Agreements.
• $350 million over five years, starting in 2021–22, to expand access to adult education by supporting First Nations people on reserve who wish to return to high school in their communities and complete their high school education.
• $25 million, in 2021–22, to the Government of Yukon to support its climate change priorities, in collaboration with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, to help Yukon adapt to the impacts of climate change, which has a disproportional impact on Indigenous Peoples, women, and children and threatens the safety and resilience of northern infrastructure, ecosystems, and traditional ways of life.
• $601.3 million over five years, starting in 2021–22, to advance toward a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, including $55 million over five years, starting in 2021–22, for the Department for Women and Gender Equality to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
• Closing the gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples; supporting healthy, safe, and prosperous Indigenous communities; and advancing meaningful reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and the Métis Nation through an historic investment of over $18 billion.
• As part of an overall investment of $1 billion in the mental health of Canadians, including veterans and Indigenous people, Budget 2021 proposes to provide $100 million over three years, starting in 2021–22, to support projects for innovative mental health interventions for populations disproportionately impacted by COVID 19, including health care workers, front-line workers, youth, seniors, Indigenous Peoples, and racialized and Black Canadians.
• In addition, Budget 2021 proposes to provide $597.6 million over three years, starting in 2021–22, for a distinctions-based mental health and wellness strategy with First Nations, Inuit, and the Métis Nation.
• Budget 2019 proposed a number of new measures to complement existing efforts to strengthen Arctic and northern communities, including $40 million over five years to support options for post-secondary education in the North. This funding includes $1 million to establish a Task Force to study post-secondary education in the Arctic and the North, $26 million for a new campus science building in support of Yukon College's transition to Yukon University, and $13 million for the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning.

Related links

• Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience
• Budget speech

Associated links

•  Fall Economic Statement 2020: Supporting Canadians and Fighting COVID-19
• Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

Media may contact: Antoine Tremblay, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, 819-953-1153; Media Relations, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, 819-934-2302, [email protected]