Prime Minister's Caucus Task Force on Youth Entrepreneurship Announced


November 25, 1998
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today announced the creation of a Prime Minister's Caucus Task Force on Youth Entrepreneurship. This Task Force of the National Liberal Caucus will undertake public consultations and report back to the Prime Minister on what can be done to assist young Canadians make their way in an increasingly entrepreneurial economy.

"Throughout the 1990s, self-employment has been an engine of job growth in the Canadian economy," said the Prime Minister. "Young Canadians account for a small but growing proportion of this burgeoning and diverse phenomenon. I have asked the Task Force to talk to young people, and to some of the more dynamic individuals and organizations across the country, to find out what we can do to help young people make the most of the entrepreneurial opportunities that are out there."

Steve Mahoney (MP for Mississauga West in Ontario) will Chair the Task Force, which will be made up of Caucus members from across Canada. It will travel the country and consult widely in an effort to identify and assess the key barriers to youth entrepreneurship; analyze the common features of programs and projects that have been successful; and suggest how governments, the private and voluntary sectors and young people themselves can work together to encourage youth entrepreneurship.

The Task Force has been asked to prepare a report for the Prime Minister by October 1999. Funding and staff support for the Task Force activities will be provided by the Liberal Party of Canada and the Liberal Caucus Research Bureau.

The full membership is as follows:

Steve Mahoney, Chair
Jean Augustine, (MP for Etobicoke – Lakeshore, Ontario)
Sarmite Bulte, (MP for Parkdale -- High Park, Ontario)
Yvon Charbonneau, (MP for Anjou – Rivières-des-Prairies, Québec)
Claude Drouin, (MP for Beauce, Québec)
Gerry Byrne, (MP for Humber – St. Barbe – Baie Verte, Newfoundland)
Ovid Jackson, (MP for Bruce – Grey, Ontario)
Marlene Jennings, (MP for Notre Dame-de-Grâce – Lachine, Québec)
Joe Jordan, (MP for Leeds – Grenville, Ontario)
Paul Bonwick, (MP for Simcoe – Grey' Ontario)
Gary Pillitteri, (MP for Niagara Falls, Ontario)
Senator Vivienne Poy, (Ontario)
Senator Frank Mahovlich, (Ontario)
Senator Joan Fraser, (Québec)

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