Conservatives, Liberals clash over youth unemployment as Tories pitch training reform

OTTAWA — Young workers in Canada are facing an increasingly bleak jobs market — and the federal Conservatives and Liberals are at odds over how the government could help.

Unemployment rose to 14.7 per cent for youth aged 15 to 24 in September, Statistics Canada said Friday. That’s a 15-year high outside the pandemic years.

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis warned Wednesday the “deepening youth unemployment crisis” will affect young workers’ career trajectories for the rest of their lives.

He accused the Liberals of lacking a plan to address youth unemployment and laid out a Conservative proposal that would boost educational supports in high-demand fields and encourage employers to build housing for workers.

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu’s press secretary, meanwhile, accused the Conservatives