OTTAWA – The Harper government says it is tightening rules on its controversial temporary foreign worker program.
Employment and Social Development Minister Jason Kenney says employers must pay a new $275 processing fee for each request to import a foreign worker, reported Canadian Press.
As announced in Economic Action Plan 2013, the Government of Canada has now implemented a user fee for employers applying for labour market opinions along with new language and advertising requirements for the TFWP.
“Our Government’s number one priority remains jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity. These additional reforms help ensure that Canadians are first in line for available jobs,” said Kenney. “They also ensure that taxpayers no longer pay the cost of processing employer applications for temporary foreign workers.”
Kenney announced the changes this week, which include employers can only request proficiency in languages other than French and English when they can show another language is essential for the job.
“Qualified Canadians, including new Canadians, should have first crack at available jobs,” said Chris Alexander, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. “These new measures demonstrate that our Government is committed to ensuring the Temporary Foreign Worker Program functions as intended.”
Employers must also make greater efforts to hire Canadians by expanding their advertising of job openings.
But new rules don’t go far enough for the BC Federation of Labour.
“I think it falls miles short of what’s necessary because, fundamentally, the program is now flawed,” says President Jim Sinclair.
Sinclair thinks the Feds should hit the reset button altogether.
“What needs to happen with the temporary foreign worker program is it should go back to what it was originally. Only for skilled labour. There’s no skilled labour shortage for McDonald’s.”
The government says in a release that the objective of the program must be that Canadians have the first crack at any available job.
The changes took effect on July 31, the release says.
