Ontario Premier Doug Ford says young people aren’t looking “hard enough” for work in the province and suggested unemployed people should consider “fast food” as a potential job choice.
At the same time, the Ford government has declined to take a position on whether the federal government should eliminate the temporary foreign worker program, which other Canadian premiers have suggested is one of the root causes of the country’s employment woes.
The premier’s comments come in the wake of rising unemployment figures, both provincially and nationally, which have worsened since the start of the trade war sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In August, Ontario’s unemployment rate stood at 7.7 per cent while the youth unemployment rate, which includes people between the ages of 15 and 24, hovered at 16.5 per cent.
Ontario’s youth unemployment rate has gradually increased from 10 per cent in March 2023, hitting a peak of 18 per cent in December 2024.
During a speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade, Ford bemoaned the low employment figures and suggested a lack of effort was part of the problem.
“It drives me nuts when I see young, healthy people, they’ll call me up saying, ‘I can’t find a job’,” Ford said.
“I can assure you, if you look hard enough .. it might be in fast food or something else, (I) think you’ll find a job,” Ford added.
Ford’s comments touched a nerve with NDP Leader Marit Stiles, who said the premier needs to “take responsibility” for the low employment numbers.
“We’ve got 700,000 people in the province of Ontario unemployed right now. So just look at the numbers and then tell me that a young person can compete with somebody else with more experience to get that job,” Stiles said.
“I think the premier once again is saying … it’s your problem, not mine.”
While Ford told the Board of Trade that unemployed Ontarians need to be matched up with one of the 230,000 jobs he claims are currently available in the province, his government is also staying on the sidelines of the question dogging the Carney government.
A recent poll suggested 44 per cent of Canadians want to see the temporary foreign worker program scrapped, bolstered by calls from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to eliminate the program.
Last week, British Columbia Premier David Eby called on the federal government to make major changes to the temporary foreign worker program — or to scrap it outright.
“Here in British Columbia, we see an unacceptably high level of unemployment among young people, which has been linked both to the international student visa program as well as the temporary foreign worker program,” Eby said.
Global News asked the Ford government whether it is calling for a pause or an end to the program.
A spokesperson for premier’s office declined to comment and suggested the government has yet to take a stance on an issue that’s captured the attention of other premiers.