Stiles: Premier Ford does not care about young people

QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition, is calling on Premier Ford to step up to address Ontario’s rising unemployment and continued job losses, instead of blaming young people and workers for his failures:

“If you’re a young person in Ontario struggling right now, or one of the 800,000 people out of work, the Premier of our province thinks it’s your fault and you’re on your own. Doug Ford doesn’t care about young people.

“My message to Premier Ford is to stop pointing fingers and start taking responsibility. You’re failing our youth, our workers, and leaving our future hanging in the balance.”

“And my message to young people across our province is that you deserve a premier who will go to bat for you and a government that listens to you and uses its power to create more opportunities.”

BACKGROUND:

• Ontario lost 26,000 jobs last month, the sharpest decline of any province.
• Employment has fallen by 66,000 since February 2025.
• There are now over 800,000 Ontarians unemployed.
• Unemployment in Windsor (11.1%), Oshawa (9.0%), and Toronto (8.9%) is among the highest in Canada.
• Youth unemployment is 16.5%, more than double the provincial average.
• Education lost nearly 18,000 jobs, professional and technical services down 13,600, and manufacturing remains down 18,000 year over year despite a small monthly gain.