This winter, thousands of Canadian students had their say on the most important issues for the government to address in the 2023 federal budget. 

More than 450 intermediate and secondary schools from every Canadian province participated in the Student Budget Consultation, a program by CIVIX Canada. 

Through the program, students learn about budgeting, public finance, the economy, the political spectrum, and different perspectives on fiscal policy. They identify what issues are important to them and their communities and are encouraged to consider multiple perspectives, engage in constructive discussion, and reflect on their thoughts and beliefs. 

At the end of the program, students take an informed position on budget decisions and share their insights by completing the Student Budget Consultation survey. 

The preliminary results reveal some important insights about the priorities of Canadian youth.

Students’ top priorities for Budget 2023:

The top actions students believe the federal government could take to support youth over the next 5 years:

The results also revealed some insights about young Canadians’ beliefs and values:

• 69% of students believe that Canada has a responsibility to act on climate change, even if countries with larger emissions do not
• 74% of students believe that the government should invest more in mental health services
• 86% of students support increasing government funding for health care in Indigenous communities and 79% support increasing government funding to protect Indigenous languages
• 58% of students believe that wealth inequality is too high
• 57% of students believe corporations should pay more taxes than they currently do
• 66% of students believe that all Canadians should have access to government-funded prescription drugs

Finally, the survey revealed some insights about students’ outlooks on their own lives, finances, and futures:

Last week, CIVIX and youth journalist Wyatt Sharpe met directly with 15 MPs, representing all parties in the House of Commons, to share some of the key survey findings in advance of Budget Day. Video highlights from those MP interviews are available below:

• Affordable Housing & Cost of Living: https://youtu.be/V_xvYfKn8eo 
• Mental Health & Indigenous Relations: https://youtu.be/l5nqFJt3Vi0 
• Climate Change & Health Care: https://youtu.be/DFjNge8YGgg
• Income Inequality & Fiscal Policy: https://youtu.be/CatboJZddl4

You can access the preliminary Student Budget Consultation results, including an overall summary, infographic highlights, and a complete analysis: https://budgetconsultation.ca/results/

The 2023 Student Budget Consultation was organized by CIVIX, with the support of the Government of Canada. The Student Budget Consultation survey is conducted in partnership with Vox Pop Labs. These preliminary results include the online submissions of the first 1,500 youth to participate from throughout Canada.