Alexander Zelenski

Canada is pouring hundreds of billions into infrastructure, housing, and defence — but there's a catch: youth unemployment among 20–24 year-olds sits at 11.3%, and existing training programs are too fragmented to funnel young people into the jobs these investments will create. Alexander Zelenski argues that Canada doesn't need more youth programs; it needs better-connected pathways that tie young workers directly to the national projects already underway. Drawing on models from the EU, the...

Originally published in Research Money: https://researchmoneyinc.com/article/the-economics-of-exclusion-why-canada-s-budget-leaves-its-future-behind- Budget 2025 offers a clear signal about Canada’s long-term priorities, and it also reveals a quiet but consequential gap. Only one percent of federal spending is directed toward Canadian youth, a group that today makes up 19 percent of Canada’s population. At first glance, this may seem like a narrow budgetary detail; however, it reflects a...

This information brief summarizes the critical insights from our October 7th, 2025 webinar, "Co-Creating Canada's Future: Youth Perspectives on Canada's Seven Federal Missions". Hosted by ICI Canada in partnership with the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) and Research Money, the forum was designed to ensure the voices of young Canadians, who are most impacted by today's policy decisions, are formally heard by decision-makers. Key insights include: Urgent priorities: An audience poll...