Expanding temporary foreign worker program just means 'more exploitable workers': advocate

The federal government is tackling labour shortages by allowing some companies to bring more temporary foreign workers to Canada — but one advocate says those workers need better protections.

"The question is: why are these people being brought in on closed work permits, tied to the employer, rather than being given the same right as any other immigrant?" said Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.

"The answer to that is ... there is no shortage of workers. There's a shortage of more exploitable workers," he told The Current's Matt Galloway.

About 100,000 temporary foreign workers come to Canada each year, under a scheme that allows employers to hire them if no Canadian or permanent resident is available. The system came under scrutiny in the pandemic, with Canada's Auditor General Karen Hogan reporting in December that the federal government did not do enough to ensure those workers were being protected.

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In changes announced Monday, sectors experiencing labour shortages — including tourism, food production and health care — will be allowed to hire more employees from abroad, and in some cases those employees can stay longer.

But Hussan argued that the workers hold a precarious position, where their accommodation, livelihood and even permission to stay in Canada is tied to their employer. 

"Tying workers to employers is actually throwing open the doors of exploitation," he said.  

"The immigration system must adjust to give them permanent resident status, rather than keeping them as second class, and even third-class workers and citizens."

Carla Qualtrough, federal minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, said the federal government is working to ensure protections for temporary foreign workers. 

Employers must meet standards and undergo inspections around accommodation and working conditions, and complaints can be made via a tipline, she said.

"I would never say there isn't more to do, but there are options for workers to avail themselves of their rights, and we are working really hard to make sure that workers know what those rights are," she said.

But expanding the temporary foreign worker program is necessary because Canada's "economic recovery is outpacing the ability for some employers to find workers," she said.

Statistics Canada recorded 915,500 unfilled positions in the fourth quarter of 2021, up by 63 per cent compared to 2020.