By MIKE GIDORA

General Secretary, Young Communist League

Are there differences between the young
people living under differing social systems —
between the young people of Canada and the
young people living in Socialist states? Cer-
tainly not in their hopes and aspirations, but just
as certainly in their opportunities to fulfill those
dreams.

The differences lie.not so in the young people
themselves, but with the systems under which
they live. In Canada, under our so-called ‘free
enterprise’ system, unemployment is a major
problem for all young people. In a socialist sys-
tem, jobs for all is guaranteed. In Canada, the
right to a quality educational system is in ques-
tion, as is the nght to decent sports, cultural and
recreational facilities. Again, these are not prob-
lems in a socialist country, access to all of these
important aspects of a young person’s life is
guaranteed.

It is not that young people in our country do
not want a job, a quality education, or a peaceful
world, it is simply that the social system under
which we live makes all of these things very
difficult to achieve.

Let’s have a look at what young people in our
country have to say about the things that most
affect their future, and what their counterparts
in various socialist countries have to say.

Mike Gidora at a demonstration last April de-
manding jobs for youth.

A few years ago, the Union of Unemployed
Youth, a Vancouver organization said this:
“*We, the youth of this nation, will not accept
the verdict of the Federal Government’s Youth
Committee Report which said that high youth
unemployment is a ‘permanent feature of the
Canadian environment’. Nor will we accept the
suggestion that we should turn to drugs or that
the problems we face are a product of the clash
we have with old fashioned ideas of our parents.
The solution does not lie in an escape to drugs or
the acceptance of a useless life, contributing
nothing to the development of the individual or
the country. The solution lies in the creation of
jobs. We have no need of rhetoric. We want jobs
and we want jobs now!”’

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 8, 1977—Page 4

a

Toronto students demonstrate against cutbacks In education.

Now, three years later, little has changed for
Canadian youth in that regard. More than one
million Canadians, more than 50% of them
under 25, are out of work. Governments have
indicated that they will not create any more jobs
for young people, and in fact still rely on the
conclusions of the federal government’s Youth
Committee Report. But, young Canadians still
want jobs. Take Susan, who at 26 is a graduate
nurse, without a job. She said ‘“Sometimes I get
mad, really mad. Then, I get depressed: How
would you feel, after going to school for two
years and finding that there’s nothing out there
for you, that nobody wants you. It really hits
you hard.”’

Under socialism, young people are not “‘hit’’
as Susan, and other Canadian youth are hit.
Socialist constitutions guarantee a job as a right
for all, and in fact, many countries face actual
labor shortages. Christel, a young worker from
the German Democratic Republic says this:
“The right to work for everyone, to social sec-
urity and safety for all as it is guaranteed in the
constitution and implemented in practice —
those are the landmarks of socialism which I can
confirm from my own experience.”’

Often, young people are the object of compet-

itions between various jobs, as factories, mines .

and mills seek to attract young people to come to
work for them. A stark contrast to the *‘No Help
Wanted”’ signs in Canada.

Education in Canada today is becoming more
and more difficult for young people, not only in
terms of who is able to attend, but who will
benefit. In our country today, only 6% of all
university students come from working-class
families. On the other end of the scale, 46% of all
places in universities were occupied by students
from families in the upper 20% of the incomes
bracket. As well, tuition fees are rising along
with students’ living costs. At the same time,
government financial assistance is harder to
come by.

Many young people simply find it impossible
to go on with their education, and in fact only
60% of all those who enter school in Toronto
ever complete Grade 12. Some, like George, 20
and unemployed, would like to study but can’t.
‘*Sure I would like to go to school, but I just
can’t afford it. Tuition fees are too high, there
are noloans available, and even if I did complete
my education, there are no jobs for me at the

other end. Everyone would like to learn, but ~ jgj

today it’s just financially out of the question.”’

In a socialist society, education is free right
through to university. Only ability, the desire to
learn, and interest determine the student’s edu-
cational level. Students are paid living stipends
to cover their expenses and have all study mate-
rials provided free of charge. All of the popula-

tion is encouraged to study, even if they are —

working. In fact, inthe Soviet Union, more than
nine million people study, a figure that is twice © —
that of the combined student population of Bri-
tain, France, Italy, the Federal Republic of
Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

To encourage young people to study, special
efforts are made at the workplace including time
off from work for classes and studying time. It
was in this way that Yuri, a machine worker in
the Soviet Union completed his engineering
course. ‘‘Besides the academic leaves which 1 —
was entitled to by law, I, like hundreds of other
worker students, was given a very convenient
work schedule and offered every cooperation,

‘‘The course added substantially to my
knowledge and experience — now I mysé
teach the new boys at work. But, the wish t