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The 1999 Speech from the Throne:
Youth
October 12, 1999
If Canada is going to be the place to be in the knowledge economy of the
21st century, young Canadians -- our leaders and innovators of tomorrow-- must be equipped with state of the art, high tech skills.
And they must have access to the tools and educational opportunities they need to develop those skills -- to the maximum opportunity to apply their creative talents, and hone their skills.
Our goal is to give today's young generation of Canadians -- no matter where they live -- a shot at personal success in the knowledge economy; at a job with a future that pays well; and, at becoming our best and brightest.
A Record of Achievement
Even as we have restored order to the nation's finances, we have made forward-looking investments that support this key national objective: We have announced:
• The Canadian Opportunities Strategy – a comprehensive plan to provide Canadians with greater, more affordable access to education and skills;
• The Canada Millennium Scholarship Fund: a $2.5 billion endowment that - in January 2000 - will begin generating over 100,000 scholarships each year for low- and middle-income post-secondary students;
• The Canada Education Savings Grant, which now provides a grant of 20% on the first $2,000 of annual contributions to Registered Education Savings Plans.
• Tax relief on interest payments on student loans;
• A Youth Employment Strategy, through which more than 300,000 young Canadians obtained their first work experience or summer employment;
• SchoolNet, which has connected every public school and library in Canada to the Internet - the first nation in the world to accomplish this;
• The Community Access Program - We will have public Internet sites connected in 10,000 rural and urban sites by the year 2000; and,
• Computers for Schools, whose goal of providing 250,000 computers for Canadian schools by the year 2000 is 60 percent complete.
1999 Throne Speech Commitments
We will build on this strong foundation and use the world-leading high tech infrastructure we are putting in place not only to enhance the skills and opportunities of young Canadians but also to broaden their understanding of their fellow Canadians and the Canadian experience.
We will:
• Hire youth to put in place additional community Internet access sites in communities across Canada;
• Launch Exchanges Canada which will provide 100,000
young Canadians every year the chance to learn about another part of the country.
• Give younger Canadians from the age of 13 an opportunity to produce their "first works" using traditional and new technologies in the arts, cultural, digital and similar industries;
• Give tens of thousands of young Canadian volunteers the opportunity, to help with literacy skills and participate in community and national environmental projects;
• Enable youth to apply their talents overseas through youth international internship programs; and,
• Continue to provide young Canadians with career information, access to work experience and learning.
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