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Geoff Russ: Doug Ford walking back initiative allowing asylum seekers to work was right choice
Geoff Russ: Doug Ford walking back initiative allowing asylum seekers to work was right choice

National Post

timea day ago

  • Business
  • National Post

Geoff Russ: Doug Ford walking back initiative allowing asylum seekers to work was right choice

If Canada's leaders will not put young Canadians first, they should not be surprised when those same people abandon a country that abandoned them first. Article content After a meeting in Huntsville, Ont., on July 24, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the rest of the premiers made it clear that they want greater powers over immigration. Article content Article content Ford specifically mentioned that his government was examining Section 95 of the Constitution Act to find a way to bypass Ottawa and unilaterally grant work permits for Ontario. Section 95 allows the provinces to make immigration decisions, 'as long and as far only as it is not repugnant' to any federal law. Article content Article content On Monday, however, Ford announced he was walking back that initiative, and this is a tiny spot of good news for young job seekers in the province. Article content Article content There are nearly 100,000 unemployed asylum seekers currently housed in hotels in Etobicoke. Prior to his retreat on the policy, Ford wanted to put them to work, even though the unemployment rate of Ontario residents aged 15 to 24 stood at 16.4 per cent, higher than the national average of 14.2 per cent. Article content During the short time he considered the initiative, Ford's elbows were up, displaying a willingness to throw them at his province's youngest and most vulnerable adult citizens. Article content Trying to add another 100,000 people to the workforce would have been a cruel strategy when youth unemployment is rampant in the Greater Toronto Area. Between January and July of 2024, it spiked from 13.2 per cent to 19.8 per cent. Article content The Ontario government would not be helping by pushing for even more cheap foreign labour, which has already likely already suppressed wages and worsened housing affordability for Canadians. Article content Article content This combination has grown alongside a national immigration policy that saw an average of 612,000 permanent and temporary residents admitted to the country yearly between 2016 and 2023. The policy of mass, low-wage immigration had a considerable effect on the Canadian economy, according to Michael Bonner, a former policy advisor in the Harper government and later Director of Policy for the Government of Ontario. Article content Article content 'The consequences are structural underemployment, stagnant wages, and a climate in which businesses are rewarded for failing to invest in hiring, training, and retaining a domestic workforce,' wrote Bonner. Article content Despite his modest promised reductions in yearly immigration, Prime Minister Mark Carney is still planning to admit 400,000 permanent residents annually by 2027, far more than the average during the years of the Harper government. Article content Housing unaffordability is a crippling fact of life for those under 40. During the spring election, the Liberals pledged to deliver a housing plan that was the 'most ambitious since WWII' and build 500,000 homes per year.

Young people at Latitude explain how hard it is to get a job
Young people at Latitude explain how hard it is to get a job

BBC News

time6 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • BBC News

Young people at Latitude explain how hard it is to get a job

Every day, Abi applies for part-time jobs to be a waitress or work in a shop. The 16-year-old, from Colchester, Essex, has made more than 50 job applications recently but has never heard anything at Latitude Festival, near Southwold, Suffolk, Abi says it is very difficult for her generation to find part-time employment."I worry that in the future even when I have qualifications I won't be able to get a job. It just feels impossible," she says. Abi, who wants to be a paediatric therapist, has been predicted top grades when she collects her GCSE results next month but says it is not enough."Employers want experience, but I can't get any. I want the responsibility and I want to give something back," she feels grateful that her parents have paid for her festival ticket and is aware many families would not be able to afford it. "I want to pay my own way. I would love to be part of a team and a job would give me some independence rather than relying on them." 'We want to earn our own money' Many young people at Latitude say they have either borrowed money to attend or had their tickets paid for by their and Lydia, both aged 16 and from Lincoln, keep handing out their CVs when they go into town and send multiple emails to employers but have had no luck getting work."No-one in our friendship group has a job," Ella says. The teenagers, who have just finished their GCSEs and will continue in education, had to ask their parents to pay for their tickets."We would love to earn our own money but it feels like it will never happen," Lydia adds. How much does Latitude Festival cost? Up to 40,000 people are expected to be at Latitude each day, where headliners include Sting, Fatboy Slim and Snow weekend camping tickets cost £308. The festival offers a plan where payments can be spread aged up to four are free for the weekend while those aged five to 12 cost £28. Teenagers aged 13 to 15 pay £190 and over-16s pay adult day tickets cost £110 plus fees. Under fours are free and children cost £18, but those aged over 13 must pay adult prices for day are allowed to bring their own alcohol into the camping areas but not the main areas, where it costs £6.95 for a pint of lager. 'We've borrowed money from our parents to come' Zac and Freddi, both 17, and their friend Matt, aged 18, all from Norwich, have had to borrow money from their parents to attend the is about to start an electrician's apprenticeship while Matt is going to university to study for a degree apprenticeship in quantity is at college and working in a pub, cooking and washing up, which he says is the only job he was able to get without experience."It's minimum wage but I feel lucky to have got it," he hopes to be able to afford to go to university to study of their friends are Neets, meaning they are not in education, employment or training, and one has applied for "more than 100 jobs".Almost one million young people across the UK fall into this category, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).That equates to about one in eight young people. Graduates make up about 10% of vacancies in the UK are currently at their lowest level in nearly four April, National Insurance Contributions paid by employers increased while a rise in the minimum wage came into hike is forecast to raise £25bn in revenues by the end of the Parliament, but some analysts say it has discouraged firms from are concerns the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill could make it even harder for employers to offer people part-time bill includes a right to guaranteed hours and a crackdown on zero-hour contracts without the offer of work. 'Unemployment can affect mental health' Many Neets are economically inactive, meaning they are not actively seeking work, according to the mental health is one of the key issues preventing them finding work, according to The Youth Futures organisation, which aims to help marginalised young people find work, says unemployment can be both a cause and a consequence of mental ill is calling for more inclusive entry routes into work – through apprenticeships and employment support Coxon, a senior economist at the organisation, says being out of work and education "can have a scarring effect on young people even decades later, impacting their future prospects and wellbeing". Mental health needs to be prioritised, she says, and "preventative solutions that bring together health services, education, employers, civil society and other stakeholders" must be found. A Department for Work and Pensions official said getting more young people into work was a priority for the government."We are determined that no young person is left behind as we drive up growth and opportunity in every corner of the country."Through our Plan for Change we are transforming job centres, testing new ways of delivering targeted youth employment support and giving every young person the opportunity to earn or learn through our Youth Guarantee, while we significantly expand mental health support." Expert tips for finding work 1. Search beyond a 40-mile radius - Remote, hybrid and flexible working open up opportunities further away.2. Use key words in your searches - Online algorithms will pick up on daily searches and send you more of the same.3. Do not wait for a job to be advertised - Contact a manager at a business that you like the look of as you never know what opportunities might be coming up.4. Sell your skills - Use social media sites such as LinkedIn which showcase your skills and experience. Other platforms such as X and Instagram can prove useful when touting yourself out to potential employers as well.5. Get learning - While you are on the hunt for a job see if there are ways to fill gaps in your CV with free courses, volunteering or shadowing.6. Celebrate the small wins - Set personal targets, such as a certain number of jobs to apply for in a week or a number of cold emails to send, and acknowledge the little wins along the way to keep your spirits can read tips from careers experts in full here. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

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