Designing a Canadian Youth Climate Corps

Research Advisor: Dr. Daniyal Zuberi

Abstract

We are in the midst of a climate crisis, the reality of which has come into painful view over the last few years. 2023 was the hottest year on record, bringing with it a host of climate-related disasters, including the devastating wildfires that ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui. Here in Canada, we had a record-breaking wildfire season, in addition to deadly flooding, drought, and heat waves. Yet, despite the years of climate chaos we have endured and the repeated calls from climate scientists to dramatically reduce our emissions, Canada has lacked a climate mobilization on the scale required. Young Canadians are staring down the barrel of a bleak future when it comes to climate change, a predicament that is exacerbated by the rising cost of living across the country.

A national Youth Climate Corps (YCC) would address the intertwining crises of climate and economy that youth are currently experiencing. A YCC is a federally funded youth employment program that would offer a good, green job to any young person who wanted one. A national YCC would both accelerate Canada’s transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy, while providing well-paying, unionized jobs for thousands of young people and equipping them with the skills needed to succeed in their careers. The goal of this study is to create a detailed proposal for a Canadian YCC that can be used by policymakers and activists to push for its implementation. The proposal will draw from youth employment programs around the world, as well as the pilot YCC that is currently operating in British Columbia, to outline what a Canadian YCC could look like.

Introduction

I picked this research topic because I have been deeply involved in climate activism since I was in high school, and the climate crisis motivates me in everything that I do. I have watched the idea of a YCC gain momentum over the past few years, and I am hopeful that it could be implemented in the near future. President Biden recently established the American Climate Corps in response to years of pressure from activists. Wildsight, a British Columbia-based non-profit, has been operating a local YCC since 2020, and federal NDP Environment Critic Laurel Collins recently brought forward a motion in parliament to create a national YCC, bolstered by recent polling which revealed that the majority of Canadians support the idea. The goal of my research is to create a detailed proposal for what a Canadian YCC could look like, and thus accelerate its implementation.

Research Objectives & Questions

Based on the Civilian Conservation Corps, Youth Climate Corps BC, and other successful youth employment programs, what are the most important elements to include in a Canadian national YCC? Supplementary questions include: What specific elements contributed to the success of other programs? What were the challenges faced by other programs and how were they overcome? Did national or regional/local programs tend to be more effective? What impact did other programs have on their participants and the economies in which they took place? What were the costs associated with other programs?

Background

My research was inspired by the Climate Emergency Unit (CEU)’s campaign for a national YCC, and my proposal will be based on their policy brief. Little research has been done on the idea of a YCC because it is a relatively new concept, but youth employment programs more broadly have been widely researched. Anna Aizer et al.’s 2020 paper, Do Youth Employment Programs Work? Evidence from the New Deal, will be one of the principal sources in my literature review. The paper discusses the long-term impacts of the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps, which will be one of the main programs included in my jurisdictional scan.

Methodology

My methodology consists of two parts: a jurisdictional scan and interviews.

I will conduct a jurisdictional scan of youth employment programs around the world in order to analyze what made them effective and whether or not these components would be relevant in a Canadian context. I will also review existing literature related to the effectiveness of youth employment programs and use these lessons to inform my proposal.

I will then conduct Zoom interviews with Youth Climate Corps BC (YCCBC) staff and participants, Climate Emergency Unit (CEU) staff, and Laurel Collins. I will reach out to YCCBC staff via the email addresses listed on their website, and ask them to connect me with up to four program participants that I can interview as well. I will ask them about their experience with YCCBC, what they think makes the program effective, and what they think should change. 

I have an existing connection to Seth Klein, Director of Climate Emergency Strategy and Team Lead at the CEU, and will reach out to the CEU’s three YCC organizers via the email addresses listed on their website. I also have an existing connection to Laurel Collins. I will ask her and the CEU staff what they think a Canadian YCC should look like, and use these insights to inform my proposal.

I will compile all of the information from my jurisdictional scan, literature review, and interviews into a detailed proposal for a Canadian YCC.

Potential Impact

The goal of my research is to create a detailed proposal for a Canadian YCC, which I will get published in a journal such as Policy Options. I will also write and publish an op-ed about my research in a mainstream news outlet. My paper could be used by the Climate Emergency Unit to support their campaign for a national YCC in Canada, as well as by activists in other countries lobbying for a YCC. NDP Environment Critic Laurel Collins and other supportive politicians could use my research to present a more detailed motion in support of a YCC in parliament. I foresee the impact of this research, in tandem with grassroots activism, being that the Canadian government implements a YCC.

References

Aizer, Anna, et al. “Do Youth Employment Programs Work? Evidence from the New Deal.” National Bureau of Economic Research, June 2020, https://doi.org/10.3386/w27103.

“The American Climate Corps Explained.” Sunrise Movement, Sunrise Movement, 29 Sept. 2023, www.sunrisemovement.org/movement-updates/the-american-climate-corps-explained/.

“Civilian Conservation Corps.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Jan. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps.

Climate Emergency Unit, Climate Emergency Unit, www.climateemergencyunit.ca/. Accessed 28 Jan. 2024.

“FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Launches American Climate Corps to Train Young People in Clean Energy, Conservation, and Climate Resilience Skills, Create Good-Paying Jobs and Tackle the Climate Crisis.” The White House, The United States Government, 20 Sept. 2023, www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/20/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-launches-american-climate-corps-to-train-young-people-in-clean-energy-conservation-and-climate-resilience-skills-create-good-paying-jobs-and-tackle-the-clima/.

“Global Climate Highlights 2023.” Copernicus, Copernicus, 9 Jan. 2024, climate.copernicus.eu/global-climate-highlights-2023#:~:text=2023%20is%20the%20warmest%20year,larger%20than%20the%20ERA5%20value.

Klein, Seth. “New Poll Shows Strong Support for a Youth Climate Corps.” Canada’s National Observer, Canada’s National Observer, 16 Nov. 2023, www.nationalobserver.com/2023/11/16/opinion/new-poll-shows-strong-support-youth-climate-corps.

 “NDP Moves to Create Youth Climate Corps, Helping Young People Get Good-Paying Jobs.” Canada’s NDP, Canada’s NDP, 5 Dec. 2023, www.ndp.ca/news/ndp-moves-create-youth-climate-corps-helping-young-people-get-good-paying-jobs.

 Phillips, David. “Canada’s Top 10 Weather Stories of 2023.” Government of Canada, Government of Canada, 16 Jan. 2024, www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/top-ten-weather-stories/2023.html.

 “Rising Prices Are Affecting the Ability to Meet Day-to-Day Expenses for Most Canadians.” Statistics Canada, Statistics Canada, 3 Nov. 2023, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220609/dq220609a-eng.htm.

 “We Need a Climate Corps.” Climate Emergency Unit, Climate Emergency Unit, www.climateemergencyunit.ca/climatecorps. Accessed 28 Jan. 2024.

Youth Climate Corps BC, Youth Climate Corps BC, www.youthclimatecorps.com/. Accessed 28 Jan. 2024.