Help get our youth working

By: Behshad Hastibakhsh - Contributing Writer (North Shore News, March 17th 1997)

RECENT political rhetoric from Ottawa indicates that the next federal election is only a few months away, depending on public reactions to the upcoming federal budget.

This comes as a bad news to young Canadians who are tired of listening to empty promises, falsified economic forecasts and simplistic solutions to major socio-economic issues.

While our public officials seem to be mainly concerned about their re-election, a vast segment of society suffers from the trickle down effects of an stagnant economy. These harsh economic conditions are certainly the result of decades' long tax and spend policies which have caused a serious deficit and debt crisis on both provincial and federal levels.

It is also due to a combination of high taxes, overextended bureaucratic control and government regulations that this country and province has become an unfavorable place for private investment.

Taking the number of highly educated, extremely qualified and skilled unemployed population into account, one may wonder why this province, like the rest of Canada, continues to lag far behind the newly emerging East Asian countries in terms of annual economic growth.

A first glance reveals that in the last few years there has been little or virtually no effort to create entry-level employment opportunities for youth.

This has led to widespread distrust, alienation and skepticism among this demographic group known as the Generation X, the 20- and 30-year-olds.

Generation X, whose contribution and involvement in society is essential for Canada's future prosperity, has become alienated from existing socio-economic and political structures.

Truly, Canada's youth feels increasingly neglected by those in positions of authority.

In the absence of sufficient entry-level employment, one can often see young university graduates working in the retail or the service sector under the worst possible conditions which at some point resemble modern slavery.

Yes, slavery in the workplace is unfortunately too common, because our public officials fail to sufficiently address the need for private investment in research, development and manufacturing sectors.

As a result, few young individuals have the chance to work in their field of expertise and to build the basic financial resources needed in a strong economy.

Although government statistics show the national unemployment rate to be around 10%, a substantial number of young Canadians remain unaccounted for in the official data.

They are those whose personal pride prevents them from filing for unemployment or welfare claims; those who have either part-time, short term contracts, or even odd jobs.

And finally, there are those under-employed workers whose biweekly income rarely exceeds the $100 mark.

Youth unemployment is a serious issue that has been largely neglected by our elected officials.

Acknowledging the significance of the existing economic crisis, our politicians bear the responsibility to restore faith and hope in the hearts of Canada's youth by all means necessary.

This includes government deregulation, and large tax incentives to multinational corporations which, given the presence of the well-educated and technically qualified workforce, will then choose Canada as a place for investment.

One must remember that in the age of economic globalization multinational corporations are major actors in shaping tomorrow's world economy.

Thus, government's main responsibility lies in lobbying them and in building a contractual relationship through the exchange of tax shelters for reasonable employee benefits.