We need to restore a national youth service in Canada, and ensure it provides skills for peacebuilding, mediation and reconciliation between cultures within Canada and internationally.

Security Council Resolution 2250 urges member states to set up mechanisms to enable young people aged 18 to 29 to participate meaningfully in shaping lasting peace and contributing to justice and reconciliation. Youth Service Programs contribute to youth's civic engagement, personal growth, interpersonal and intercultural skills, employment prospects and learning while meeting community partners' needs for additional human resources.

Justin Trudeau has long called for a civilian national youth service policy and organization, including in a 2009 private member's bill, the 2015 Liberal platform, the Budget 2016 and the mandate letter to the minister of employment.

Supporting peace as a profession is a growing, viable and less costly alternative to military intervention in conflicts around the world. For example, the German Civil Peace Service seconds experts to support non-violent conflict resolution and the prevention of violent conflicts in various countries worldwide. They have built structures for dialogue and communication, promoted peace education, strengthened the rule of law through monitoring, and supported the reintegration of groups affected by violence.

At the international level, the Nonviolent Peaceforce and Peace Brigades International have made important contributions in calming violent conflict and preventing human rights violations. Scaling up these efforts requires trained human resources, which could be provided through a Youth Service Program dedicated to training youth in effective conflict-resolution, mediation, negotiation and leadership skills.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) called for federal funding for community-based youth organizations to deliver programs on reconciliation and establish a national network to share information and best practices. In his response to the report, Prime Minister Trudeau committed to fully implementing the Calls to Action.

Brooke Valley Research for Education in Nonviolence would like to encourage the new government to move ahead on establishing a national youth service. We are petitioning for a proposal to use the service in part to promote peacemaking as a profession. The program should aim to include Aboriginal youth and become part of the reconciliation work to be done between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. In addition, the program should be used for peace education and to support youth at risk of violence or radicalization.

We call upon the Government of Canada to:

1.    Create a national Youth Service Program as a step toward establishing peacemaking as a national profession;

2.    Invite Aboriginal youth to join the program so that the program may be used as part of the reconciliation strategy to build respectful and healthy relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth;

3.    Design the program to include youth at risk of violence and newcomer youth, with emphasis on building respectful relationships across ethnic and social divisions, cross-cultural dialogue and non-violence training;

4.    Include peace education and non-violence training drawing on best practices from a diversity of cultures in the preparation for the Youth Service Program;

5.    Include a strong international component to foster international friendship and exchange and include civilian peace services as part of this international component.