Manitoba trucking companies increasingly turning to foreign help, but some accused of misusing program

Manitoba's trucking sector is using temporary foreign workers to fill the ranks of drivers at the highest rate in years, but some of those companies are being accused of taking advantage of newcomers who hope to live in Canada.

An analysis of federal data shows Manitoba businesses in the trades, transport, equipment operators and related occupations sector were cleared to hire 1,467 temporary foreign workers in 2023 — an increase of 1,283 per cent from the 106 employees permitted in 2018, according to figures published by Employment and Social Development Canada.

The demand for temporary foreign workers has swelled across the country and in a range of professions.

But in Manitoba — where employers were approved to hire 3,200 more temporary foreign workers in 2023 than five years prior — the increase is attributed in large part to the transportation sector.

For example, nearly 900 of the workers Manitoba businesses were approved to hire in 2023 were transport truck drivers. The federal program only granted permission for 40 drivers to be hired in 2018. 

Aaron Dolyniuk, executive director of the Manitoba Trucking Association, said companies increasingly have no choice but to look beyond the province's borders.

"We have an aging workforce," he said. "Half of the amount of people we are looking to recruit includes people that are retiring out of our workforce."

Provincial labour market data from 2023 suggests Manitoba must train and retain around 3,485 more drivers in the next five years to meet demand.

Driving truck can pay fairly well, said a lawyer who works as immigration counsel for some trucking companies, but the lifestyle of long hours and prolonged periods away from home no longer appeals to many.

"We're not seeing the same uptake from domestic workers, so we have to make up the shortfall somehow," said Kenneth Zaifman.

CBC News analyzed federal temporary foreign worker data based on positive labour market impact assessments, or LMIAs — a document proving there are no Canadians available to take a job.

An increase in positive LMIA positions doesn't necessarily mean there are more temporary foreign workers in the country — for example, an approved employer might change their mind before hiring one — but it at least points to employers' rising interest in the program.

While Manitoba's labour shortage is well-documented, Zaifman said it's particularly pronounced in the trucking sector, because the province has become a transportation hub with a number of large and growing companies.

Some trucking companies use the temporary foreign worker program because they've exhausted the provincial nominee program, which brings a limited number of skilled workers to the province annually to fill labour gaps.