September 2, 2025 Toronto, Ontario Employment and Social Development Canada
As students across Canada head back to school, the Government of Canada is supporting their next steps toward a bright future by creating more pathways to rewarding careers and making education more affordable.
Today, Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, announced $26.1 million in funding for six national projects under Employment and Social Development Canada's (ESDC's) Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) Program. Building on previous investments in the YESS Program, which are providing employment supports to over 23,600 young people, these new projects will help improve employment outcomes for a larger number of youth.
These projects are developing and testing solutions to the challenges youth face in the job market. Funded through the Strategic Collaboration stream of ESDC's YESS Program, they bring together youth, service providers, and employers to create approaches that can be scaled across the sector. That includes guidelines to help employers better integrate youth with disabilities and tools that improve data collection for more evidence-based decision-making.
In addition, for the 2025-26 academic year, the Government has extended the temporary increases to student grants and loans through the Canada Student Financial Assistance (CSFA) Program, that will improve the affordability of post-secondary education. This includes maintaining the 40% increase to grants for full-time students, part-time students, students with disabilities and students with dependants, and the Canada Student Loan limit increase from $210 to $300 per week of study.
The YESS, including Canada Summer Jobs, is part of the Government's broader commitment to youth, alongside other programs like the Student Work Placement Program, Canada Service Corps, and the Supports for Student Learning Program. Together, these programs are expected to create 162,000 opportunities for youth in 2025-26, empowering the next generation to shape Canada's future.
