NDP's Tom Mulcair promises to 'crack down' on unpaid internships
Federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair brought his campaign to Winnipeg Thursday morning and announced a plan to create more than 40,000 youth jobs, paid internships and co-op placements over four years if the party forms government.
Speaking at the Operating Engineers Training Institute, Mulcair said the NDP initiative would connect 40,000 youth with non-governmental organizations and private sector employers for work experience that would help them find long-term jobs.
An NDP government would create apprenticeship spaces through federal infrastructure projects, in federally-regulated airports or port authorities, and with Crown corporations.
It would also partner with municipalities and Indigenous governments to hire apprentices for infrastructure projects.
He also promised to "protect the safety of young workers and crack down on the use of unpaid internships."
Asked how he would deal with unpaid internships, Mulcair said it would be done through new laws on health and safety, and by creating paid internships that make unpaid ones less attractive to applicants.
The initiatives, which would cost $200 million over four years, are fully-costed and will appear in the NDP's balanced platform, he said.
"After Stephen Harper's lost decade, I want to build a Canada where every young person gets the opportunities they need for a good start to their career," said Mulcair.
Out of Iraq
Mulcair also repeated his party's stance that an NDP government would immediately order the Canadian military out of Iraq — regardless of international commitments — but the training mission in Ukraine would continue.
Canada has committed to its allies to fight Islamic militants until March, but Mulcair said he would not wait until then to pull military personnel out of Iraq.
Mulcair said the mission in Iraq is led by the United States, not NATO, and an NDP government would establish its own independent foreign policy.
However, the situation in Ukraine is different and the NDP would maintain its commitments in that country, he said.
Canada joined the fight in October of 2014 for an initial six-month mission, which was expanded this March for up to a year.
Canadian fighters are now also bombing Islamic militants in Syria.
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