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A Nation At the Brink |
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Contributions: Who Is Subsidizing Canada's Economy? |
Action: Help sustain KEI's contributions |
Fact or Fiction?
The Earth is Flat |
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Editor - Perry Kinkaide |
Over the past months, the KEI Network has examined Canada’s fragile state—from its stagnating economy and regional disunity to the erosion of trust in public institutions. Our latest article, “Canada is Coming Apart”- reproduced from Troy Media, concludes this series with a stark but necessary truth: our nation is not collapsing in a single moment but unraveling piece by piece through inaction, division, and denial. But this is not where the story ends.
With this issue, we pivot forward. The next series of KEI articles and webinars will focus on those who will inherit the consequences—and the opportunities—of today’s choices: Canada’s youth. Guided by our new Yourh Advisory, we are launching a youth-focused series exploring the concerns and aspirations of a generation raised on promise and confronting fear and uncertainty.
We begin this Thursday with a preview of “Justa Chat”—a new initiative to listen to and empower Alberta youth as co-authors of their future. We invite you to join us - listen to their voices, understand their concerns, and support their visions—not only because the future belongs to them, but because they may be the ones who help us save the country before it’s too late. - Editor |
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Canada is coming apart. And the real leaders are missing. Reproduced from Troy Media HERE Youth Rising: A Vision for Canada’s Future—By Youth, for the Nation
Drawing on the Engaging Youth: A White Paper on Alberta’s Future (2019) and national reports such as Canada’s State of Youth Report (2021), 13 Ways to Modernize Youth Employment in Canada, and Raising Canada 2022, this article deepens the call from young Canadians for a just, sustainable, and inclusive society.
Work and Innovation: Preparing for Jobs That Don’t Yet Exist. Across the country, youth are pushing for a redefinition of what “work” means in the 21st century. While traditional career paths are still respected, young Canadians want an education system that reflects a rapidly evolving economy. Continued below
No need to register. Just Zoom in https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84258596166?pw.. Continued from above - They’re concerned about automation, disheartened by precarious gig work, and disillusioned by advice that doesn’t match real-world opportunities. The State of Youth Report confirms this: youth want increased access to job training, entrepreneurial pathways, and skills development in both STEM and social innovation.
Youth also call for a transition economy that respects Alberta’s historical role in energy but begins investing in renewables. As one youth collective put it: “We don’t want to be left behind—we want to be leading the shift.”
Community: Inclusion, Equity, and Digital Belonging. Canada’s communities are rapidly diversifying, and youth embrace this with open arms. The Alberta White Paper and the Building a Youth Policy consultation both highlight the need to strengthen multiculturalism and fight systemic racism—not through token gestures, but through structural change.
Youth also emphasize that “community” is no longer bound by geography. Digital spaces are equally real and vital. However, these platforms are double-edged swords—offering connection and information, but also misinformation and isolation. To bridge that gap, youth want digital literacy, community engagement tools, and civic education that reflects how politics actually function today. In the words of a student from High Prairie: “Equip us to be critical, support us to be engaged, and we will lead the way to a future of involved and informed citizens.”
Health and Well-Being: Beyond Crisis, Toward Resilience. Mental health has emerged as the defining concern for Canada’s youth. Raising Canada 2022 and the State of Youth Report both place youth mental health at the center of national risk. Suicide rates, opioid overdoses, and untreated trauma are rising. The pandemic only worsened this.
But youth are not just asking for more services—they want a cultural shift. They’re calling for an end to stigma, integrated mental health education in schools, and community-based supports that blend technology with human empathy. They also support innovations in healthcare—from CRISPR to telehealth—but argue these must be accompanied by equitable access and education.
Their concern also extends to environmental health. As Alberta’s emissions rise and climate impacts worsen, young people see direct links between ecological degradation and future illness—both mental and physical. Their message: climate action is health action.
Voice and Agency: From Disengagement to Co-Governance. Youth do not lack passion. They lack power. While voter turnout among youth remains low, that doesn’t reflect apathy—it reflects exclusion. Reports such as 13 Ways to Modernize Youth Employment and the What We Heard report show that when youth are given real influence, they respond with creativity, responsibility, and commitment. Youth want more than consultation—they want co-governance. They want seats on boards, roles in advisory committees, and representation in media and politics that reflects their diversity.
They’re also demanding that governments, educators, and employers communicate with them where they are—online, on platforms they trust, and in ways that reflect their lived realities.
The Time Is Now. Young Canadians are not waiting for permission. They are organizing, innovating, advocating—and demanding to be taken seriously. Whether it’s climate justice, economic reform, mental health, or social equity, youth are already advancing the conversations that will define the next generation. Policymakers, educators, and business leaders must now respond—not just with listening sessions or symbolic gestures, but with structural commitments. As one youth submission stated: “We are not just the future—we are already the present. And we’re ready.”
Canada’s challenge is no longer simply to prepare youth for the future. It is to prepare the country to follow where youth are already leading.
Editor@KEInetwork.net |
