NDP reacts to Governor Poloz’s comments on youth unemployment

NDP MPs responded to comments made on Tuesday by the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Stephen Poloz, which drew attention to the weak job market where young people are increasingly being forced into unpaid work.

“With youth unemployment nearly double that of the national average, far too many of our young people are struggling to find work” said NDP MP Andrew Cash said, “Unpaid internships are not the solution to high youth unemployment.”

Many provinces have already enacted legislation that limits the use of unpaid internships to educational programs, but currently there is no statue concerning interns in federal law, which is responsible for industries like banking and telecoms.

NDP MP Laurin Liu has introduced a bill entitled the Intern Protection Act, which would extend workplace health and safety provisions to all interns in federally regulated industries and would set clear rules around the usage of unpaid interns.

“The Conservatives have done nothing to improve the job market facing Canadian youth and they’ve have turned a blind eye to the exploitation of unpaid interns” said Liu, “Young Canadians deserve better.”