Business wary as Trudeau set to restrict number of low-wage temporary foreign workers
Business groups are raising concerns about Ottawa’s decision to restrict the number of temporary foreign workers coming to Canada, warning that certain industries that are struggling to find workers could be adversely affected.
On Monday, Ottawa announced that employers will not be able to bring in foreign workers through the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) in regions where the unemployment rate is six per cent or higher from Sept. 26 onwards.
The low-wage stream includes cleaners, hotel attendants, food servers and administrative assistants and the move is expected to affect the retail, restaurant and hospitality sectors the most.
The government will make exceptions for food security sectors, such as agriculture, food processing and fish processing, as well as construction and healthcare.
Some business groups, though, are worried that sectors such as tourism and the restaurant industry, which are still facing labour shortages, could be dealt another blow by the move.
“We agree that the unemployment rate has been growing,” said Diana Palmerin-Velasco, a senior director at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, a group that represents 200,000 businesses. “The issue is that those statistics do not look the same across the country. For sure, Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal are very likely to be saturated, but that doesn’t mean it is the same in Sudbury or Thunder Bay.”
She reiterated the need for the government to engage with employers and hear their concerns.
Dan Kelly, who heads the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which represents more than 97,000 small businesses, said the announcement was worrisome and would take a toll on small businesses. He added that the move seemed
Read more on financialpost.com
