Pierre Poilievre pushes to end Temporary Foreign Worker program to protect Canadian jobs

Canada temporary foreign workers: Conservative leader of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, urged the Canadian government to immediately end the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program, saying it suppresses wages and takes opportunities away from Canadian workers and youth, as per a report.

Pierre Poilievre's Proposal

Poilievre said,“It’s time to take decisive action to protect our youth and workers,” and asked the government to “immediately stop issuing new TFW permits, and end this wage-suppressing, opportunity-stealing program,” as quoted by Global News. He even said that youth unemployment in Canada was “at its lowest in more than a quarter-century” outside of the pandemic, as per the report.

He proposed permanently abolishing the program, except for a separate one focused solely on hard-to-fill agricultural jobs, according to the report. In regions with very low unemployment, he suggested a transition period of up to five years during which no new permits would be issued anywhere in Canada, as per Global News.

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Poilievre said, “Under this urgently-needed plan, the temporary foreign worker program would be permanently abolished with a separate, standalone program for legitimately difficult-to-fill agricultural labour,” adding, “For ultra-low-unemployment regions, there will be a transition period of, at most, five years while the program winds down, but no new permits will be issued anywhere in Canada,” as quoted in the report.

His proposal comes as concerns grow over whether the availability of cheaper foreign labour is holding back wage growth in Canadian communities, according to the report. This year, Canada plans to admit 82,000 temporary foreign workers under the program, reported Global News.

Canada Government's Restrictions on Low-Wage Foreign Workers

Last year, the government introduced new rules that bar applications for low-wage temporary foreign workers in areas where unemployment is 6% or higher, as per the report. Employment and Social Development Canada said that employers must also keep low-wage temporary workers to 10% of their workforce and can only employ them for up to one year, which was reduced from two years, according to Global News.

Mark Carney Defends Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s Role

While Canadian Prime minister Mark Carney said that the Temporary Foreign Workers program “has a role” to play in Canada’s economy and the government was working to ensure it worked effectively, as reported by Global News.

He said, “We will be discussing how well the Temporary Foreign Worker program is working and how our overall immigration system is working,” and Carney added that the government was taking “clear steps to adjust” the immigration system, according to the report.

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Migrant Rights Groups Speak Out Against Poilievre’s Proposal

Migrant rights group Migrant Workers Alliance for Change went on to accused Poilievre of “whipping up xenophobia, scapegoating migrant workers for problems created by corporate profiteering and government inaction on housing, jobs and wages,” as quoted by Global News.

MWAC executive director Syed Hussan said that, “If he truly wanted to end the exploitation of migrants and truly wanted to welcome immigrants to build lives in Canada, he would be demanding permanent resident status for all,” as quoted in the report.

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How the Temporary Foreign Worker Program Works?

While Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said that Conservative leader’s recent remark on immigration contained “inaccurate or incomplete information," adding, “The Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program is designed to be responsive to changes in the labour market and to allow employers in Canada to hire foreign workers when qualified Canadians or permanent residents are not available to fill job positions,” as quoted by Global News.

FAQs

Why does Pierre Poilievre want to end the program?
He believes it suppresses wages and takes away job opportunities from Canadian workers, especially youth, as per a Global News report.

What is the Temporary Foreign Worker program?
It’s a program that allows Canadian employers to hire foreign workers temporarily when there aren’t enough qualified Canadians or permanent residents for the job, as per a Global News report.