At its height, it had a constituent membership of over 400,000 and offices across the country and held annual congresses that attracted several hundred delegates.
[4] In 1936, the CYC's Ottawa congress issued the Declaration of the Rights of Youth calling for youth employment training, public health care, social security, recreational and educational facilities, and world peace.
It called for Canada to make its own independent decisions in regards to war rather than automatically following the lead of the United Kingdom in foreign policy.
[4] At its height, it was able to attract speakers at its conferences ranging from Tommy Douglas of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation to Paul Martin, Sr. of the Liberal Party of Canada and Denton Massey of the Conservatives,[4] to Tim Buck of the Communist Party of Canada.
[1] In 1940, after World War II had broken out, the CYC's annual congress, held in Montreal, issued a declaration in support of civil liberties, stating that “the War Measures Act and the Defence of Canada Regulations deny our traditional rights of free speech, free assembly, organization and trade union action, free press, radio and pulpit" and also opposing conscription in Canada, in a statement title Youth Want Jobs Not Conscription".