The Youth Climate Corps was a hard-won victory. After years of organizing, Budget 2025 delivered a $40 million pilot commitment which is proof that this campaign has multi-partisan support and has built public backing for climate action.

But a pilot isn't enough.

The moment demands scale. Youth unemployment is climbing. Communities across Canada are grappling with worsening wildfires, floods, and extreme heat. An Abacus Data survey found that 1.3 million young Canadians aged 18–35 would enrol in a YCC if given the chance. And Canada faces a critical skilled labour shortage that this program could help address.

The gap between what we've won and what we need is stark: a $40 million pilot creates a few hundred jobs; a $1 billion annual program would create nearly 20,000 full-time positions per year, while building the climate infrastructure our communities desperately need.

The time to scale is now. We call on the Federal government to establish a significantly scaled Youth Climate Corps now, not later. Budget 2026 is our window to transform the program from a modest pilot into the generational program this crisis demands.

We are gathering organizational support to demand a significant commitment in the 2026 Budget. By signing this letter, you're joining dozens of organizations across climate, labour, Indigenous, faith, education, health and arts sectors in calling for a $1 billion annual investment: a program sized to the crisis, not a token gesture alongside it.

Read the full text of the letter | Lire la version française de la lettre

The government has shown it can act. Now we need to demand they act at the speed and scale this moment requires.