The tariff war threatens my parents' auto jobs. As a new voter, I worry about my future job security

Harman Banga · for CBC First Person

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

This First Person nonfiction is the acquisition of Harman Banga, who lives successful Brampton, Ont. For much accusation astir CBC's First Person stories, delight spot the FAQ.

Hi, I'm Harman. I turned 18 successful February and volition formed my precise archetypal ballot successful the upcoming national election. 

I'm besides a first-generation Canadian. This twelvemonth marks the 20th day of my parents making Canada their home. Seeking occupation opportunities, they moved from Punjab, India, to Toronto. They enactment successful agelong hours, bought a home, raised 2 kids and became Canadian citizens. Eventually, my parents recovered good-paying jobs successful the car industry.

My dada worked arsenic an relation for an car parts manufacturer. My ma started successful the aforesaid presumption but got an accidental successful attraction and yet became a prime systems co-ordinator. She's my relation exemplary for however hard enactment tin pb to success. My small member has conscionable started precocious school. As for me, I'm each acceptable to postgraduate from precocious schoolhouse successful June. I volition survey humanities astatine the University of Toronto this autumn and imagination of becoming a writer someday. 

If there's a cleanable illustration of the migrant dream, my household was surviving it. But with the interaction of the ongoing commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the U.S. and the rising outgo of living, I interest astir my economical aboriginal and occupation security. 

With Ontario's car manufacture slowing down, my dada was 1 of the galore radical laid off. My ordinary, middle-class household is anxious. Groceries, gas, mortgages and taxes are wherever astir of our income goes.

The quality conscionable adds to those anxieties. As governmental leaders endanger each different with tariffs, we commune that the worst doesn't happen. Tariffs for my household mean my dada apt won't beryllium rehired and my mom's car works mightiness adjacent arsenic well. 

This fall, there'll beryllium an further disbursal for my household arsenic I caput disconnected to university. I'm grateful my parents religiously enactment wealth into a RESP relationship for the past 18 years. Thankfully, my hard enactment paid disconnected and I besides received an entranceway scholarship. I'm acceptable up good for success, but I can't assistance scrolling connected LinkedIn.  

Instead of relaxing aft stressful exam seasons, I spent the past 2 summers doing paid internships.

The experiences were valuable, but if I'm being honest, having thing successful my slope relationship was a reassurance. It removed immoderate of my fiscal accent and allowed maine to absorption connected my studies during the schoolhouse year, dissimilar immoderate of my classmates who enactment part-time.

By surviving astatine home, I tin wage for fractional of my four-year assemblage degree, but I'm acrophobic astir what happens next.

My parents archer maine to not worry, but I can't assistance it. 

Even though I'm acceptable to bash a grade successful humanities, I astir went for subject oregon engineering for the committedness of accepted stability. Right now, choosing a vocation way feels a batch similar driving blindfolded. I tin lone anticipation that my hours of hard enactment and bully grades volition someday pb to a unchangeable job, a unafraid fiscal aboriginal and the aforesaid maturation opportunities my parents' procreation had. 

I cognize the likelihood are stacked against me. I unrecorded successful Brampton, Ont., known arsenic Flower City. When my parents bought their home, it was inactive a somewhat affordable community. Now, it's hard to imagine anyone from my generation affording the mortgages of these suburban houses, particularly when rents present are rising faster than successful immoderate different Canadian city. 

When young voters similar myself vote, we're reasoning astir each these things. Our aboriginal rests connected governments supporting immigrants, tackling precocious unemployment and providing alleviation for middle-class families arsenic the commercialized warfare betwixt the U.S. and Canada continues.

Not Band-Aid solutions similar impermanent rebate cheques from Ontario, but semipermanent solutions that make jobs for Canadians and assistance the adjacent procreation spend their archetypal homes. If the national minimum wage was raised to a livable one, provinces that autumn beneath that mightiness consciousness pressured to besides rise the bar.

The Liberal authorities eliminating the involvement connected national pupil loans was a bully step. It gives maine immoderate alleviation if I bash person to instrumentality connected a indebtedness to wage for my last years of study. 

Voting for the archetypal clip seems similar a immense and daunting responsibility.

However, with each of the ads attacking different parties, it's hard to find elaborate accusation connected the policies and issues I attraction about. I privation to marque the close prime for the adjacent premier curate and governing enactment with my vote.

I privation to support calling Canada my location 20 years down the line.

WATCH | What young radical look successful the hunt for a job: 

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