There are not enough comedians in British Columbia and we need foreign comics to fill the gap. That would be the situation if one were to go by a list of B.C. labour shortages compiled by the federal Conservatives.

As far as standup comedian Darcy Michael is concerned, this assessment is a joke. Reached for comment by the Georgia Straight, an incredulous Michael said: “Are you kidding me?” The 26-year-old Vancouver comic said there are more comedians than spaces where they can perform. “I’m floored,” Michael said. “There’s not enough work for us.”

Michael may disagree, but the work of comedians is included in the so-called “Regional Occupations Under Pressure List” rolled out by Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Canada, during a November 15 visit to Vancouver.

From actors to chiropractors, athletes to geophysicists, engineers to ministers, the list identified 129 occupations that Canadians and landed immigrants supposedly cannot fill, hence the purported need for temporary foreign workers to plug the gap. The list is part of adjustments to the Foreign Worker Program (FWP) jointly administered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

Solberg said in a news release that the changes are aimed at “making it easier, faster, and less costly for employers to hire temporary foreign workers”. Finley, for her part, said in the same release: “They will effectively help employers having difficulty finding Canadian workers to fill their human resource needs, while continuing to protect the access of Canadian workers to the labour market.”

Jenny Lo, a foreign-worker consultant at HRSDC’s Service Canada for B.C. and the Yukon, explained to the Straight that when an occupation is classified as “under pressure”, it simply means that “there is greater demand for labour than the supply”. Asked how the list was compiled, she said: “We have economists who evaluated what was included.”

Like Michael, others have a different view.

Priti Shah is the coordinator of Capacity BC, the advocacy arm of 24 different internationally trained professionals’ associations representing more than 2,000 members in B.C. She told the Straight that the move to facilitate the entry of more temporary foreign workers will have an impact on qualified immigrants and new Canadians who cannot work in their respective fields because of existing barriers, such as difficulties in licensing and accreditation.

“We don’t want to deny opportunities to other people,” Shah said, referring to prospective foreign workers. But she also noted: “We have immigrants who want to make Canada their home but they are denied the opportunity to practise their professions.”

One example is Rodolfo Sousa, who was a forest engineer in Brazil until he immigrated to Canada more than a year ago. He has not acquired a certification from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C. and thus cannot work as an engineer. He said that getting foreign workers will be a “disadvantage” for immigrants seeking entry in their respective professions. “There will be more people looking for the same jobs,” Sousa told the Straight.

Edeliza Muyco, a Vancouver-based immigration consultant, was surprised when informed by the Straight that the Regional Occupations Under Pressure List for B.C. included specialist physicians, general (medicine) practitioners, and family physicians.

“I have four clients who were doctors in the Philippines but they can’t enter their field. One of them is now working as a care aide in a nursing home,” Muyco said.

Canada accepted about 100,000 temporary foreign workers in 2005. During the same year, the country admitted more than 260,000 immigrants, according to CIC figures.

The CIC noted on its Web site (www.cic.gc.ca/) that in the 2006 budget, the government committed $307 million in additional funding for services that will help newcomers settle in their communities. Also, $18 million was allocated toward establishing an agency for the assessment and recognition of foreign credentials. These measures, the agency said, “support the long-term success of newcomers to Canada”.

Saima Shah has an MBA and worked in the financial industry in Pakistan. When she moved to Canada, she had a hard time looking for work so she decided to earn another MBA degree from Simon Fraser University. But still she can’t find a job in her preferred profession.

“I think this is pretty strange,” Shah said of the government virtually declaring open season to hire temporary foreign workers. The list identified as under pressure “professional occupations in business services to management”.

Shah told the Straight: “We have an oversupply of qualified people looking for work.”

According to Statistics Canada, the Canadian work force has become “greyer”, with the average age of the labour force rising from 37.1 years in 1991 to 39 years in 2001. It notes on its Web site: “By 2011, when almost one-fifth of the baby boom generation will be at least 61 years of age, there will be a potential for shortages in certain occupations.”

The Business Council of British Columbia noted in its November 22, 2006, industrial-relations bulletin that until recently, the focus has been on the lack of skilled workers in the trades. “However, it is clear that shortages are affecting all occupations,” it said. Its recommendations included streamlining the application process for foreign workers.

Jim Sinclair, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, wasn’t surprised that the government has thrown the doors wide open for the recruitment of foreign workers. “No doubt, the government and employers are on the same side,” Sinclair told the Straight.

Contrary to the claim by government and business, Sinclair said that there is an ample supply of labour but workers are moving toward better-paying jobs. He said: “If you don’t pay good wages, you’ll get shortage of labour.”