Straight Talk

Ottawa outlines reforms for temporary foreign workers program

by Travis Lupick on April 30th, 2013 at 12:54 PM
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      The federal government has announced reforms to the country’s temporary foreign workers program.

      At an April 29 press conference in Ottawa, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney outlined measures designed to make it more difficult for companies to outsource jobs that can be filled by Canadians.

      The Ministry is suspending a so-called fast-track component of the TFWP program. Called the Accelerated Labour Market Opinion, it was designed as a means for employers to hire “temporary foreign workers for high skilled occupations” and bring them into the country in as short a period as a number of weeks. The Straight previously reported that more than 4,000 companies were abusing the fast-track program and using it to hire low-skilled labourers for positions at gas stations and fast food restaurants, for example.

      Another reform introduced on Monday forbids employers from paying temporary foreign workers less than Canadian citizens. That decision reversed an April 2012 rules change by Canada’s human resources minister, Diane Finley, which permitted employers to pay temporary workers 15 percent less than average wages.

      Kenney also said that Ottawa will increase fees related to the program both for employers and employees.

      “The temporary foreign worker program was intended to fill acute labour shortages on a temporary basis only, not to displace Canadian workers,” he told reporters.

      The changes will not apply to seasonal positions in the agricultural industry.

      A number of controveries have seen the TFWP come under increasing public scrutiny. At the same time, the number of employers using it has ballooned into the thousands.

      When news broke that employers were using the Accelerated Labour Market Opinion option to bring in low-skilled workers, the B.C. Federation of Labour called for a moratorium and public review.

      The TFWP also drew criticism when CBC News reported it was being used by the Royal Bank of Canada to replace dozens of Canadian employees with temporary workers from abroad.

      There are an estimated 70,000 temporary foreign workers in British Columbia and over 300,000 across the country. Nationally, that’s up from 101,000 in 2002.

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      Travis Lupick

      @tlupick

      In one capacity or another, Travis Lupick has been associated with the newspaper since he was 15 years old. Having joined the Straight's editorial department in 2006, Travis quickly gained a reputation as the office's resident workaholic and hopeless caffeine junkie.

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      Comments

      2 Comments

      Forward Thinker

      Apr 30, 2013 at 9:19pm

      I understand now the Employers groups are upset saying they need these employees. Maybe some do but these groups should have been monitoring thier members for abuse and there may not have been the abuse that led to changes. But employers were abusing this program in a massive way and the government allowed it. So now it is gone. I do not think the government has done enough. They need to Audit the program and charge violators. They need to start rounding up those should not be here and send them home. They should start with fast food, services stations and janitorial services.
      They also need to crack down on out sourcing IT jobs. Banks, telephone companies and cable companies get a protected market and should be prohibited from out sourcing. If the is not acceptable, then remove thier protection and make them compete for my business. I could use the break on those fees.