Dewar Announces Youth Opportunities Strategy

December 15th, 2011

“Your Canada Year” will provide experience and education grants

OTTAWA – New Democrat Leadership candidate Paul Dewar today released a strategy to engage young Canadians in communities at home and around the world while offering them tools to get valuable work experience and an affordable education. Dewar's 'Your Canada Year' will provide 10,000 youth with a grant for training or post secondary education in exchange for one year of service with a non-profit organization.
“Here’s the idea: you invest a year to build a stronger, more caring Canada and in return Canada invests in your future," said Dewar. "Young people need experience, and non-profits need the creative energy and new ideas that today's generation brings. It's a win-win."
Under the program Canadians between ages 17 and 25 will be eligible to volunteer in Canada or overseas. In exchange they'll receive a maximum of $1,500/month to help cover expenses during their service and a grant of up to $6,000 for one year of post-secondary education or training afterwards.
“The volunteer work I did in Nicaragua had a profound impact on my life and shaped who I am and what I do today. I think every young person who wants to volunteer, should have that chance,” said Dewar.
In addition to Your Canada Year, Dewar’s Youth Opportunities strategy includes:

• providing immediate relief to anyone with student debt by reducing interest in student loans to prime rate, saving an average student in Ontario $2,700 over the life of the loan;
• reducing tuition fees for post secondary education and training by an average of $700/year per student; and
• increasing federal grants for post-secondary education and training by $200 million/year, targeting low-income, disabled and Aboriginal students

“Young people shouldn't have to choose between crushing debt and getting an education, or helping their community,” Dewar said. “Together, we can ensure every young Canadian can be fully engaged in building our country by investing in their access to training, education and community service.”
Dewar’s commitment to create jobs and opportunity for young Canadians is an estimated federal investment of $1.3 billion per year.

 My name is David Murray and I am currently on City Council in the City of Pitt Meadows British Columbia.
I ran Federally for the New Democratic Party in 2011 in Abbotsford and with the great team we had in place had the distinction of being the only riding in Western Canada that doubled our NDP vote!
I am the Editor of the Pitt Meadows Today Community Online Newspaper which together with its sister papers the Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Langley Today are receiving 250,000 hits a month!
http://www.pittmeadowstoday.ca/


My family goes back to the CCF-NDP party circa October 1935 as my father "Bud" Murray worked on Tommy Douglas's first campaign!


I am a union activist for CUPE and sit as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Fraser Valley District Council and the Secretary-Treasurer of the Fraser Valley Labour Council (CLC)