What do young Canadians want Parliament to do to meet Canada’s climate commitments in a way that reflects their values and priorities?
Commitment to Respond
The Senate caucus group, Senators for Climate Solutions, are committed to making sure the Assembly’s recommendations are taken seriously. They will also work with Members of Parliament in the All-Party Climate Caucus to help ensure the Assembly’s recommendations are known and considered.
33 young Canadians aged 18-25 were selected through a civic lottery drawn from nearly 700 applicants. Assembly members represented every region and the full socio-demographic diversity of Canada.
Governance
The curriculum and process design was overseen by an external group of experts and advisors to ensure it was representative of multiple perspectives and appropriate for the participants. This oversight committee includes youth representatives.
Structure
The assembly members participated in four online sessions in August and a five-day in-person meeting in Ottawa in September.
Evidence Base
The Assembly heard from 22 experts: their identity and the topics they covered aresummarised in the CYCA Final Report.
Developing Recommendations
The assembly engaged in extensive small-group and plenary dialogue, and reached consensus on guiding principles, overarching priorities for action and 23 recommendations.
Their recommendations include calls for Parliamentarians to work across party lines to meet Canada’s international commitments, to embed youth voice and representation in climate policymaking, to phase out public subsidies to oil and gas, and to accelerate the transition to clean electricity. They also call for expanded mental health support for Canadians facing climate-related distress and for the recognition of Indigenous leadership and sovereignty in land stewardship and the clean energy transition.
Furthermore the Assembly identified seven guiding principles for effective climate action -collaboration, intergenerational resilience, systems thinking, transparency,pragmatism, non-partisanship, and equity - and outlined six overarching priorities for Canada’s climate policy, including youth representation, accountability, innovation, justice, resilience, and education.
Final Report
The Assembly’s report was published on November 10, 2025, and is available for download here: CYCA Final Report. A highlight poster, containing key takeaways of the recommendations report, is available here: CYCA Highlight Poster.
Official Response
On 21 September 2025, over twenty parliamentarians gathered at the Senate Chamber to receive the CYCA report. A short video is available on the CYCA website.
