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e-5183

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • When Canadian students work and study abroad, they bring back skills and connections that benefit everyone;
  • Business leaders recognize that a globally skilled workforce acts as a social and economic equalizer, promoting economic growth, inclusion, boosting productivity, and strengthening the middle class, including Canada’s capacity to trade, negotiate and attract investors;
  • Research shows that students who work and/or study abroad excel academically and achieve superior employment outcomes and salaries. Underrepresented students benefit the most;
  • Global Skills Opportunity (GSO) is Canada’s first and only national, federally funded, outbound student mobility program available to post-secondary students. Of the close to 13,000 Canadian student participants, 73% identify as either an Indigenous student, a student with a disability, or a student with low income;
  • Participants are better prepared to transition to the workforce. They gain confidence and develop skills such as problem solving, intercultural communication, adaptability, and critical thinking, that employers cite as being critical for success in the modern workplace;
  • Students currently in post-secondary education were particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and have the greatest need to develop and enhance transferable skills. They are entering the workforce at a time of profound economic, social and technological change; and
  • In today’s globalized world and multi-cultural Canada, investing in essential global skills for the next generation is no longer optional.
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to continue to equip Canadian students with the essential global skills required to thrive in a rapidly changing labour market through the renewal of the Global Skills Opportunity program.

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