Premier Pauline Maoris says for the first time in a long time, Quebec youth have a government that listens to them.
With student leader-turned PQ MNA Leo Bureau-Blouin by her side, she unveiled her government's plans for a new youth policy.
The provincial government said it plans to create a province wide 'community service' network to get young adults active and employed.
Bureau-Blouin said that Quebec has hundreds of thousands of youth, many of whom are disaffected, uneducated, and have no idea how to get ahead in life.
He hopes that a program to have them perform several months of community service will inspire them to complete their education and find a career.
"Right now there are 1.5 million people between 15 and 29 years old [in Quebec], and in that group there are 200,000 people who are not in school, not working, and many of them have just not found their passion, what drives them in their lives," said Bureau-Blouin.
"We think this kind of work experience, community service, can help them find their way."
The government is proposing to create a plan in 2015-16 that will cost $2.7 million, with costs increasing over three years to $10 million per year, to take young adults and give them a job.
The government says it has already set aside $480 million for its proposed youth programs, but it is unclear where that money will come from.
The type of work would be oriented to aiding a community, but specific tasks have barely been outlined, and would likely take place in schools, community centres, or under the aegis of municipal labour.
CAQ leader Francois Legault was quick to dismiss the idea as a trial balloon, and said it was very unlikely the PQ would be in power long enough to even think about implementing the idea.
“I think that they have a lot of imagination. Of course when you have to do 85 announcements in the same week, you have to have some creativity -- and they have a lot,” said Legault.
