Advocates for both employees and companies are not impressed with the Liberal federal government’s adjustments to Canada’s momentary international employee program.
The federal government at first loosened up the program’s policies for the low-wage stream in 2022, in action to a post-pandemic work lack. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced Monday that the federal government will certainly currently scale back the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada after a historical rise in the last few years.
“We need Canadian businesses to invest in training and technology, not increasing their reliance on low-cost foreign labour,” Trudeau claimed throughout a press conference in Halifax.
“It’s not fair to Canadians struggling to find a good job, and it’s not fair to those temporary foreign workers, some of whom are being mistreated and exploited.”
But employee supporters claim the federal government is “scapegoating” momentary international employees by criticizing them for climbing joblessness.
“High unemployment, low wages and unaffordable housing is not being caused by immigrants and migrants — these are caused by employer exploitation and policy failures,” claimed Syed Hussan, executive supervisor of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.
“Migrants build communities, and they deserve equal rights and respect, not scapegoating,” he claimed.
Syed Hussan, executive supervisor of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, speaks with demonstrators before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada’s workplaces in Toronto in August 2020. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)
Raul Gatica of migrant employee campaigning for team Dignidad Migrante Society claimed the remedy is to guarantee companies supply much better pay and much better problems for their employees.
“Temporary foreign workers were able to do the work that nobody wanted to do … and now we are disposable. They use us and now they throw us away,” he claimed.
One in 10 momentary international employees gained much less than $7,500 each year in 2019, according to a Statistics Canada record released in May.
A current UN record called the momentary international employees program a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery,” partly because of supposed “closed work permits” that just enable workers to benefit the company that put on bring them to Canada.
Gatica slammed the federal government for making adjustments to the job license system.
“Mr. Trudeau is using temporary foreign workers as a scapegoat instead of taking responsibility to provide us [with] the open work permit [that] will save us from exploitation,” Gatica claimed.
Both Gatica and Hussan blew up the federal government for backing down on a promise to offer residency status to all undocumented workers, which they claimed would certainly have used the employees much more defense.
A current UN record classified Canada’s momentary international employee program a ‘breeding place for modern types of enslavement.’ (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)
Dan Kelly, head of state and chief executive officer of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, claimed several of the modifications to the program make good sense, however he warned that some fields consisting of the country tourist sector will certainly be adversely impacted.
“There are some communities where there is virtually no one to hire into hospitality jobs. There [isn’t] a lineup of Canadians willing to move to some high-cost centres to take these positions, and yet they are pretty important employers that really do add a lot of value to Canada,” he claimed.
But while Kelly claimed he really felt the current UN record regarding Canada’s momentary international employee program was overblown, he concurred that the federal government ought to supply a more clear path for employees to attain irreversible residency standing.
“I think everybody agrees we don’t want to have people that are in Canada for decade after decade without the same full labour market mobility rights as other Canadians,” he claimed.
Government states adjustments will certainly relieve stress and anxiety on real estate
Trudeau and his cupboard recommended component of the inspiration for the program adjustments was to attend to Canada’s continuous real estate dilemma.
But Phil Triadafilopoulos, a teacher at the University of Toronto that researches migration, claimed he’s cynical regarding just how much of a damage the decrease in momentary international employees will certainly make on real estate need.
“This is more of a political statement than a significant policy statement,” he claimed.
“I think reducing intake on the low-skilled or low-wage temporary foreign worker program, that’s a very small step to what is a big issue.”
Immigration much more generally has actually ended up being a significant factor of political dispute, particularly as it associates with price concerns such as real estate. A Leger survey carried out in July discovered 60 percent of participants claimed there are way too many immigrants pertaining to Canada.
Triadafilopoulos claimed Trudeau’s news was likely a response to such surveys.
“It’s starting to affect public opinion in part because it’s dovetailed with a significant housing crisis, and the two issues, for better or worse, have become implicated with each other,” he claimed.
Triadafilopoulos claimed the federal government would certainly require to take a look at various other programs if it plans to decrease needs on real estate with the migration system.
Trudeau did recommend Monday that the federal government is taking a look at modifying its total migration degrees intend, however Kelly warned versus going also much in the contrary instructions.
“If you look at the long term picture for Canada, we are going to be in big trouble if we don’t continue to have a steady flow of immigrants to supplement our aging population,” he claimed.
“We’ve got to be careful that we don’t lose sight of the larger benefits of Canada’s more robust immigration system.”
