A modern, voluntary, competitive and paid national service initiative that helps young Canadians gain skills, purpose and experience while serving communities and strengthening Canada’s readiness.
Canada is entering a period that will demand more from all of us.
Rising geopolitical uncertainty, climate-related emergencies, workforce shortages, infrastructure demands and growing pressure on communities are reshaping the challenges facing our country. At the same time, many young Canadians are searching for purpose, practical experience, opportunity and a stronger sense of belonging.
Engage Canada is advancing the case for a modern, voluntary, competitive, structured and paid national youth service program for Canadians aged 18 to 25.
The goal is simple: create meaningful opportunities for young people to serve their country, develop practical skills, strengthen communities and help build Canada’s future.
Submission to the House Standing Committee on Finance
Our submission outlines recommendations to support stronger economic policy and sustainable growth.
Why now
Canada needs more than goodwill. It needs national capacity.
Across Canada, communities are facing new pressures that require more people, stronger systems, and greater readiness.
More Frequent Emergencies
Wildfires, floods, extreme weather events, evacuations, and infrastructure disruptions are becoming more common and more demanding.
Labour and Productivity Challenges
Many sectors face workforce shortages and increasing demand for skilled and motivated workers.
Pressure on National Readiness Systems
The Canadian Armed Forces, reserve systems, emergency responders, and public institutions face growing expectations.
Young Canadians Seeking Purpose
Many young people are looking for practical experience, useful skills, belonging, leadership opportunities, and a clearer path into adult life.
Stretched Community Organizations
Nonprofits, charities, municipalities, and community organizations are being asked to do more with limited resources.
“This is not about nostalgia. It is about readiness.”
Canada has one of the most capable generations of young people in its history.
The question is whether we are providing meaningful opportunities worthy of their talent, energy, and ambition.
The proposal
A modern national service program for young Canadians
Engage Canada is proposing a voluntary, competitive, and paid national youth service program for Canadians aged 18 to 25.
Each participant would begin with a shared national basic military training experience. This is a critical feature of the model. It would bring young Canadians from across the country together through a common foundation focused on readiness, discipline, teamwork, leadership, safety, emergency preparedness, civic responsibility, and service. Where appropriate, elements could be delivered in partnership with the Canadian Armed Forces or other qualified institutions.
After completing basic military training, participants could choose service pathways aligned with their interests, abilities, and Canada's evolving needs.
The program is intended to strengthen Canada while creating meaningful value for participants through skills development, leadership experience, practical training, and service.
Key Features
What makes this different
A serious national opportunity, not another volunteer program
Engage Canada is different.
This is not a traditional volunteer initiative. It is a proposed national service model designed to be structured, paid, competitive, measurable, and connected to Canada's most important priorities.
Paid and structured
Participants would receive compensation for their service and be supported through a clear, organized program model.
Built around national needs
Service placements would support emergency preparedness, community resilience, environmental response, skilled trades, Northern service, and defence-related pathways.
A shared foundation
Every participant would begin with basic military training, creating a common experience focused on readiness, teamwork, discipline, leadership, and service.
Focused on skills and purpose
Participants would gain practical experience, leadership development, confidence, transferable skills, and a stronger sense of civic responsibility.
Designed to be measured
A pilot program would allow outcomes to be evaluated, lessons to be applied, and the model to be improved before national expansion.
The service model
A common foundation. Multiple ways to serve.
Engage Canada is exploring a model where participants begin with a common foundation of basic military training before moving into service streams aligned with their interests, strengths, and Canada's needs.
The shared foundation would focus on:
Following this foundation, participants could choose among multiple pathways while remaining connected through a shared experience and common sense of responsibility.
Proposed service streams
Service where Canada needs it most
A modern national youth service program could support multiple areas of national importance.
Community and Social Service
Support for municipalities, community and non-profit organizations, newcomers, seniors, youth mentorship initiatives, and essential community programs.
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Building surge capacity for floods, wildfires, evacuations, storms, and other emergencies affecting Canadian communities.
Climate and Environmental Resilience
Supporting conservation, restoration, mitigation, preparedness, and environmental stewardship projects.
Northern and Arctic Service
Supporting Northern communities, strengthening local capacity, promoting environmental stewardship, and deepening understanding of Canada's North.
Skilled Trades and Nation-Building Support
Contributing to infrastructure, housing, skilled trades development, and major national projects.
Defence-Related Pathways
Providing opportunities for participants interested in continued service connected to the Canadian Armed Forces, reserves, or broader national readiness needs.
How it could work
Pilot first. Learn fast. Scale responsibly.
Engage Canada believes a national service program should be built carefully, tested properly, and expanded only after evidence demonstrates success.
A pilot program would allow Canada to recruit participants, establish partnerships, measure outcomes, and refine the model before national expansion.
Why it matters for young Canadians
A generation looking for purpose deserves a national opportunity.
Many young Canadians want to contribute to something larger than themselves.
They want experience.
They want skills.
They want direction.
They want opportunities to lead.
They want to know their country recognises their potential.
A modern national service program would provide meaningful opportunities to grow while serving Canada.
Participants could gain:
This should be a program that opens doors.
Why it matters for Canada
A stronger generation. A more resilient country.
Canada needs more capacity.
A modern national youth service program would strengthen readiness, resilience, skills development, and civic participation across the country.
Canada Gains a Stronger Culture of Service and Readiness
A national service model helps strengthen civic responsibility, resilience, and social cohesion.
Many countries have successfully used national service, civil service, reserve models, and youth service initiatives to strengthen readiness and social resilience.
Engage Canada is studying these examples while developing a model that remains distinctly Canadian: voluntary, competitive, paid, practical, and designed to strengthen existing institutions.
A modern national service program will not solve every challenge.
But it could become one of the most practical ways to strengthen Canada from the ground up.
Canada Gains More Emergency and Community Capacity
More trained individuals available to support communities during periods of need.
Communities Gain Trained and Motivated Young People
Local organizations benefit from meaningful service and additional capacity.
Young Canadians Gain Practical Skills and Confidence
Participants develop valuable experience that supports future careers and leadership opportunities.
Employers Gain a Stronger Talent Pipeline
Workforce development improves through practical training and hands-on experience.
Global insights, Canadian design
What Canada can learn from others
Engage Canada is studying national service, civic service and reserve models from allied and democratic countries while developing a model that is distinctly Canadian: voluntary, selective, paid, practical and designed to strengthen existing institutions.
Rather than duplicating any single foreign system, Engage Canada is analyzing diverse, proven international frameworks to extract best practices and build a unique, home-grown solution.
Who is behind Engage Canada
A non-partisan group committed to national renewal
Engage Canada is being advanced by a non-partisan working group of Canadians with experience across public service, business, defence, education, philanthropy, Indigenous engagement, sport, governance, and civic leadership. The group is united by a shared belief that Canada should explore a practical, credible, and distinctly Canadian national youth service model.
Michael Burns
Chair, Engage Canada
Alice Aiken
Professor and former Vice-President of Research, Dalhousie University
Brett Boudreau
Senior Consultant, Veritas Strategic Communications, and Col (Ret'd)
Casey Antolak
President and Global Managing Partner, Keishi Mori Capital / Keishi Kawa Advisory; former Scotiabank executive.
Cecile Chung
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Samuel, Son & Co.
Chief J. Willie Littlechild
Former Grand Chief, Treaty Six; former Member of Parliament.
Christy Clark
Former Premier of British Columbia.
Colin Dickinson
Co-founder and President, Evea Ventures.
Dan Donovan
Founder and Publisher, Ottawa Life Magazine.
Don Cranston, MBA
Vice Chair, Client Advisory Focus Wealth Management
Greg MacKenzie
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, 407 International Inc. / 407 ETR.
Ian Brodie
Political Scientist, University of Calgary; former Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Canada.
Marc Kealey
Chief Advocate, Kealey and Associates.
Patrick Gladney
Founder and President, Collective Motion.
Stay connected
Help shape Canada’s next national service model
Engage Canada is in the early stages of building support, refining the model and engaging partners across the country.
We welcome conversations with governments, Indigenous communities, nonprofits, educators, employers, civic leaders, young Canadians and others who want to help strengthen Canada’s future.
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