Why We Started the CanYPA

We've always been interested in current events and politics. As the pandemic receded, we resolved to get involved by volunteering: door-knocking, phone calls, and the like—all representing some political party or another. But what opportunities in developing and promoting sound policy—youth-led and non-partisan opportunities, that is—await young Canadians? Very few, it seems. Furthermore, as young Canadians, we were frustrated by the lack of consideration as well as the lack of opportunities for young people in the policy-making process.

The CanYPA (Canadian Youth Policy Association) was founded in 2022 from these dissatisfactions by a group of passionate and engaged young people who saw a need for a youth-led organization that could advocate for economic policies and programs that benefit young people in Canada, but also make tremendous progress into a future of Canada that we can be proud of, independent of age.

With the CanYPA, we hope to connect policy-oriented youth in building a brighter future for Canada, one where the same opportunities—economic or otherwise—await the next generation. We hope to develop an avenue for cooperation between today's leaders and those of tomorrow, ensuring that there is a place for evidence-based, economically and environmentally sustainable, and above all, responsible policy in our increasingly polarized political sphere.