Eased restrictions to bring in temporary migrant workers in Canada

WhatsAppWhatsAppFacebookFacebookTwitterTwitterPinterestPinterestRedditRedditGmailGmailShareShare

Canada’s Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough has announced a series of amendments to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program. The adjustments to the program will ease certain restrictions and will permit employers to bring in low wage foreign workers into the country.

Industries have been pushing for these changes for months now citing the persistent shortages of workers, warning it might impact the operations and put the industries in Canada to risk. For instance, a coalition of industry groups in food sector have been calling for emergency access to more TFW programs in order to tackle manpower shortage in industry and ward off food supply deficiencies. But experts say that changes in program will only bring in more workers into Canada without actually rectifying the problem in program that has led to abuse and exploitation of TFW programs.

Canada has been struggling under labor shortage with around 1 million unfilled job opportunities in the country during first quarter of 2021. This was 80 per cent more than the levels before pandemic. At present, majority of employers in Canada can hire temporary foreign workers in low wage positions for about 10 per cent of their total workforce.

Related Posts

But under the amendment, as of April 30 the government of Canada is raising this cap of 10 per cent to 30 per cent for next year. This is applicable on seven most hard hit industries in Canada, including health care, food service, construction and food processing. The other companies will witness cap raise to 20 per cent.

Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC), criticized the change in program to bring in more TFWs without “ensuring rights for those workers.” Last two years have seen increased scrutiny over living and working conditions of foreign workers in Canada’s agriculture industry.

Defending the move, Qualtrough’s office has said that the changes to the TFW program were happening “alongside” measures aimed to protect foreign workers. “As always, any employer who is found to be non-compliant with the program will face severe penalties, which can include fines and permanent expulsion from the program,” spokesperson Jane Deeks said in an email.                                                                                                                                                                             

About WR News Writer

WR News Writer is an engineer turned professionally trained writer who has a strong voice in her writing. She speaks on issues of migrant workers, human rights, and more.

WR News Writer

WR News Writer is an engineer turned professionally trained writer who has a strong voice in her writing. She speaks on issues of migrant workers, human rights, and more.

Recent Posts

U.S. Considers Deporting Migrants to Libya via Military Flights, Sources Reveal

In a controversial plan, The Trump administration is considering deporting migrants to Libya by U.S. military flights, three U.S. officials…

May 7, 2025

Court Clash: Meta Wins $168 Million Case Against Spyware Firm NSO

In a landmark legal victory, Meta Platforms has won a settlement against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group for $168 million…

May 7, 2025

South Korea Unveils New Visa Program with Path to Permanent Residency for Foreign Workers – Know Details

South Korea has unveiled a preferential immigration program, the Top-Tier Visa Program to recruit highly skilled foreign nationals in high-tech…

May 7, 2025

Is 200,000 Jobs in the US at Risk Because of the Proposed Tariffs?

The American jewellery industry is a pillar of the luxury goods market and is warning that the US was exploring…

May 7, 2025

Volvo’s Battery Unit Novo Energy Announces Major 50% Layoffs

Novo Energy, the battery manufacturing initiative co-founded by Volvo Cars and Northvolt, announced that it would cut 50% of its…

May 6, 2025

US Begins House Checks and Review of 4,50,000 Migrant Children from Biden Era

The Trump administration announced a national review targeting approximately 450,000 migrant children who crossed the US-Mexico border without their parents,…

May 6, 2025