On Carney: Will ambition be enough to carry us through the next decade?

By Aria Wilson

October 31st, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

Smooth talking and buzzwords just won’t cut it for the upcoming Canadian generation. Until action is taken, we all know the truth—talk is a whole lot cheaper than rent.

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaking to students at the University of Ottawa.

Prime Minister, Mark Carney, delivered a speech at the University of Ottawa last Wednesday detailing the Liberal government’s plan looking to the budget drop on November 4.

As a second-year journalism student living in Canada’s capital, I wanted to feel hopeful about the November 4 budget drop, but these glossed-over promises seemed more like fancy marketing to soothe my generation’s fears than any proof that it’s really possible to conquer them.

At a time more disconnected than ever, it’s important that young Canadians and the Canadian government are on the same page.

“My generation was connected by wires, your’s is connected by code, and yet our society today is becoming ever more disconnected,” Carney said.

This is not a partisan issue, it’s a generational problem that will shape the future of our nation.

This is not a partisan issue, it’s a generational problem that will shape the future of our nation.

Carney spoke at length about the fantastical plans he has for the nation—affordable housing, job opportunities, immigration standards and legislation to make Canada safe, but is he biting off more than he can chew?

Students and young adults are tired of hearing the same promises jumbled around a rephrase machine and spat back out; they’re nothing but a campaign poster slogan until we see real action.

The Trudeau government launched the National Housing Strategy in 2017, a plan that pledged $82 billion to build affordable housing, but between 2015 and 2024 the average house price doubled, making housing feel more like a privilege than a fundamental right.

But housing isn’t supposed to be a privilege. It’s a fundamental right under the National Housing Strategy Act and affirmed by international law.

While former strategies mapped out the building of more homes, it’s clear that the government was not on the same page as young Canadians when it comes to affordability.

The government built homes, just not ones that we young adults could dream of affording any time soon.

Now Carney says he will double construction in half the time, which seems almost too good to be true.

To restore hope in young Canadians is going to take a lot more than just affordability, but efficacy and efficiency. We want to see economic, societal, and environmental change.

Canadians wondering whether their future careers are secured or being used as a gambling chip.

We no longer dream of buying our first house, but of being able to rent an apartment using less than half of our paychecks every month.

It’s difficult to rely on promises of affordability when you’re nineteen and coughing up $1000 a month for a room barely big enough to fall asleep in, let alone dream of a better future.

Carney didn’t neglect environmental concerns in his plans. Investing in cleaner construction done for and by Canadians gives hope to young people like me looking for opportunities in the workforce.

“We will be our own best customer, so the welder who’s working on a contract in St. John’s can get a full-time job,” Carney said.

Unfortunately, it just feels as though students have been asking for more job opportunities for years with very little to show for it. In fact, a 2025 CBC survey found that 40% of newcomer students would consider leaving Canada if given the opportunity.

With the job market being so sparse, this isn’t a question of why people want to leave, but why can’t we seem to generate innovation in Canada?

Luckily, it seems like Carney has some ideas for this as well.

“We used to build things in this country,” he said. “We can build again.”

If this is the case, maybe it’s possible to rebuild the trust and hope young people once had in the Canadian government. With this will come the stronger economy, a larger job market, and new opportunities for Canadians.

Carney says it’s time to take big, bold risks, which leaves young Canadians wondering whether their future careers are secured or being used as a gambling chip.

There’s no doubt that we need change. Maybe big risks are the only way forward, but it’s difficult to feel enthusiastic about these drastic changes being taken on our behalf.

These are huge promises from the Prime Minister, and young Canadians will be watching closely to see if Carney can stay true to his word.

Carney says, “Canada has what the world wants” and if by that he means young Canadians sitting in wait for change he’s absolutely right.

Aria Wilson is a second year journalism student at Carleton University specializing in Health Sciences and minoring in Neuroscience and Mental Health.   She graduated from Nelson High School in 2024, after serving as Student Council President.   

At University, she has been a part of the Carleton Journalism Society as the VP of Communications and writes for The Charlatan frequently. She is also an Associate Editor for the Carleton branch of Her Campus.