Minister Kenney solving Temporary Foreign Worker problems in Alberta by making things worse in Atlantic Canada

The Charlottetown Guardian theguardian.pe.ca
The Charlottetown Guardian theguardian.pe.ca

Last Friday the federal government announced massive changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program. These changes were unnecessary and largely driven by a cynical union-led media campaign. CFIB has worked in cooperation with the federal government on many files but we regard this as a gross over-reaction to a few negative stories, many of which have been exaggerated heavily by big labour, seeking to organize small and medium-sized businesses, particularly quick service restaurants.

CFIB members strongly support stiff penalties for those caught abusing the program or mistreating any employee, Canadians or TFWs. These changes, however, convict all employers and prevent those who have followed all of the rules from even attempting to use what has become a valuable tool to solve urgent and serious labour shortages.

Employment Minister Jason Kenney has singled out the restaurant, hotel and retail sectors, effectively barring them from even applying to use the program for most positions in most parts of Canada. For both high and low wage positions, employers will now be facing a $1,000 fee for each TFW position. Oh, and if your application is rejected, don’t expect a refund. Massive amounts of red tape are being piled on including the requirement to report every interaction with every applicant, including why they weren’t hired.

What’s more, Minister Kenney made these changes while seemingly oblivious to the reality of the labour market in Atlantic Canada. During his media conference, the Minister noted his inability to comprehend why employers can’t find Canadian workers in areas of high unemployment in places “like Cape Breton.”
For starters, our population is aging and declining and young people are moving to his home province of Alberta in droves.

He says employers should use “market mechanisms” such as higher wages to attract new workers. Well, the employers he is referring to are already operating on razor thin margins because of those same market mechanisms and simply paying people higher wages is not an option. Maybe they can pony up $25 an hour in Fort McMurray to serve coffee, in Glace Bay…not so much. The solution he offered on CTV’s Question Period was if you can’t find enough Canadian workers, don’t start the business. The logical extension of this, if you are struggling to find employees, shut down. As an economic growth strategy, this seems a little counter-intuitive.

In the same interview Mr. Kenney noted he wants to return the TFWP to its original objective to be the “last, limited and temporary resort for employers who absolutely cannot find qualified Canadians to take jobs at the Canadian wage rate.” So now, in order to assist those who are at the end of their rope finding workers, he has made the program impossibly bureaucratic, financially out of reach and/or absolutely inaccessible to those who need it most, again, a little counter-intuitive.

Perhaps the Minister of Employment should take a week or two and walk in the shoes of those entrepreneurs who want to contribute to their communities, create employment and build a business in Atlantic Canada while competing with the oil patch and the federal EI system for workers. He might just get a clearer comprehension of those “market mechanisms”. Atlantic Canada is in need of sound immigration and employment policy, not punitive measures designed to solve problems in tight labour markets in Alberta.

Jordi Morgan is Vice President Atlantic of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business which represents 11,000 members in Atlantic Canada and 109,000 members across Canada. You can reach him at Jordi.morgan@cfib.ca, @CFIBAtlantic and find out more about CFIB at www.cfib.ca

Comments

2 Comments. Leave new

  • I respectfully do not agree. The Conservative government never does anything that is contrary to the wishes of business! That’s their constituency!
    The whole program has been misused for years and should be dismantled and rebuilt to address current needs.
    Many companies have built their business model around the use of TFW. This does not work.
    Companies which have to rely primarily on TFW need to revisit their business model and if it does not include hiring primarily Canadians, I don’t really care what happens to them.
    Andy Neill (expat Canadian)
    Fortaleza, Brazil

    Reply
    • I agree there needed to be changes to the enforcement model. As mentioned, CFIB members agree there should be strict enforcement of the existing regulations, which were sufficient. This is an issue of compliance enforcement, not of exclusion or punitive measure put in place to deny those who were using the program as it was intended. These changes were a gross over-reaction to a few negative stories. There is not a business in the country that cannot hire primarily Canadians. There have been too many myths propagated about this mostly by big labour to assist in the organization of one sector.

      Reply

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