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Ottawa investigating permits for Chinese miners in B.C.

The federal government is investigating foreign worker permits that will bring Chinese miners to British Columbia to determine whether the applications meet federal requirements.

Unions have raised questions about permits obtained by HD Mining to bring 200 temporary workers to B.C. for its proposed Murray River coal mine.
Labour leaders have raised numerous concerns about permits obtained by HD Mining to bring 200 temporary workers to B.C. for its proposed Murray River coal mine.

Among those concerns is that foreign workers will be hired instead of British Columbians, and labour groups have insisted there are local workers who can do the job.

Alyson Queen, press secretary for the federal human resources minister, says the department has launched an investigation to determine whether the applications for foreign worker permits met all the requirements.

One of those requirements is that an employer demonstrate it has exhausted all efforts to hire Canadian workers, which the government then uses to form its assessment of the labour market.

Queen says the government wants to ensure that Canadians have first crack at employment opportunities in this country, though she could not say when the department's investigation will be finished.

As with most "deals" our current government makes, there is an avenue wide enough to drive a Brinks truck down. There will be kickbacks of wages from the imported workers to "brokers" in China. Of course, no record of money changing hands will be allowed in Canada. All money will change hands in China. $5,000 up front and another $7,700 collected during the two years that a worker will be in Canada. But somehow, I'm sure only paid up workers will get their papers to allow them into the country.

In Watergate, you'll remember that Deep Throat told Woodward and Bernstein to "follow the money" and you'll find out who is dirty. The Cons have learned that lesson. All money will change hands outside of Canada, where Canadian auditors can't pry. The same trick was used during the Olympics in Vancouver. The supply of most things was given, untendered, to numbered companies outside of Canada. Nobody ever was able to find out who owned them. The money just vanished.

200 Chinese workers get BC mine jobs

Nov 5, 2012 / 6:49 pm

Two labour unions want a federal court to overturn temporary work permits issued to Chinese workers at a coal mine in northern British Columbia, arguing that there are unemployed Canadians who could fill the jobs.

Permits have been granted under the federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program to 200 Chinese workers to conduct preliminary work at HD Mining International Ltd.'s Murray River mine near Tumbler Ridge.

The company has said it was not able to find workers in Canada with the specialized skills necessary.

"Poppycock," said Lee Loftus, president of the BC Building Trades union.

"We have skilled people that have operated underground equipment, we have open-pit mining people, we have all the types of mining that take place in the world available here. We may not know the brand name of the piece of equipment that they bring with them, but we certainly understand the process."

The court action filed by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115 and the Construction and Specialized Workers Union Local 1611 says HD Mining received 300 applications despite the fact the company didn't advertise widely and imposed "unreasonable and unnecessary requirements on Canadian applicants."

The documents also accuse the company of paying wages to the Chinese workers that are about $10 an hour below the prevailing wages in the industry in Canada, and no benefits.

The unions say the permits for the Murray River workers were approved in violation of the federal regulations, which stipulate that foreign workers can only be used in situations where a labour shortage exists.

"We're concerned that there are companies from outside of Canada that are bringing their money to the table to buy resources and we want to make sure that, whether we agree or disagree with regards to how those resources are removed from Canada, that there's benefits to Canadians no matter what, and this isn't just a benefit to a corporate community that takes the resource and the employment opportunities," Loftus said.

The unions want the court to declare the permits invalid. The application also seeks an order preventing Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and Citizenship and Immigration from issuing any further offers of employment or permits to HD Mining until the court matter is resolved.Human Resources announced last week that it is reviewing whether the permit applications met federal requirements. The department is responsible for assessing the labour market with respect to temporary foreign workers.

"Canadians must always have the first crack at job opportunities. As we have indicated previously, we are concerned with the process that led to this decision. That is why we are looking into this case to ensure that the appropriate rules were followed. However, we do not comment on matters before the courts," Alyson Queen, spokeswoman for Human Resources Minister Diane Finley, said in an email.

canada imports workers means bc imports workers... well i think that bc should be able to import them as long a quebec can import them as well .. and if quebec wont let them in then ditto for bc

Didnt china attend the bilderburg meeting this year? Then poof everyone is handing it all over to china.

sure lets let them in right after newfoundland and quebec let them in there first and we know that that would never happen, send them back with a big kick in the *bleep*. sincerley a bc er

What an insult this is to all thinking and proud C Canadians that we should even consider this let alone go ahead secretly and to is behind closed doors. Sound just like a few other deals on the table now I might add. Something stinks like a fish packing plant here BigTime. Canada has a proud history of coal mining, 400 years or more to be truthful and this!!!!! I have been posting this matter for some time now as its affecting other countries also...Latin America and Africa come to mind..even the Middle East. Are we missing the bigger picture here, like what do you do when they are here. How to send them back may prove worse than getting them here, specially if legal arrangements are made so Beijing can sue Canada for up to 15 years maybe 31.
Have we gone off our heads Canada. This is what made this country great, our resources, and now its bargain sale time for our enemy/China of all people.
Stop the madness Canada wants to get off the bus. Stuff is going on behind closed doors in Penticton that I could go on about [ w/proof/links!!] here but am resisting at the moment because of a snotty & hostile mod who has censored me.

Dont censor these remarks please !

Worried about the Chinese taking our mining jobs?

How about Mexicans being imported - to work at Tim Horton's.

Not only that, but it's a cash cow/slavery output opportunity for the business owners. Same tune everytime - In one breath its a "one up and better pay than they can get in their home countries" and at the same these workers are brought in to be exploited for the benefit of usually one person.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... ights.html

Kung said the employees were required to share rooms in two five-bedroom homes owned by their boss, Tony Van Den Bosch. "They had no privacy in the house. The owner would come in and out as he pleased and would enter people's rooms," Kung said. In addition, Kung said, the workers were asked to pay rent once at the beginning of the month, and an additional $200 "tip" on top of their monthly rent in the middle of the month, for the double-bunked rooms. Kung said the employer received about $4,000 a month in rent by doubling up the rooms and doubling the rents. He alleged the employees were also subject to racist comments at work. "Derogatory racist comments included '[expletive] Mexican workers are lazy' and 'Mexican idiots,' while the employer described himself as the owner of their lives," said Kung.

All for the good of the economy.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2 ... nings.html

Tim Hortons Inc. has reported a slight increase in earnings in the third quarter as the coffee, doughnut and fast food chain saw a 10.3 per cent increase in total revenue.

They are hurting and need to bring in slaves, obviously.

Has anyone considered these tactics as 5th column? There are Chinese financiers outlawed/kicked out of the US [The Lippo Group-The Riady's] who want to start up the Channel Crossing, Penticton, which I have posted about. They also want to buy up the OK'Valley vineyards. Anyone have anything to say about this.

all for the good of China-Canada their vassal state

Hasn't a Chinese consortium also bought the Lacaya project?

Chinese miners offered lower pay
by The Canadian Press - Story: 83358
Nov 16, 2012 / 6:20 pm

A lawyer for the unions seeking to stop the use of temporary foreign workers from China at a northern BC coal mine says the company advertised those jobs for $10 to $17 less than what is paid at a nearby mine for similar work.

At least 200 Chinese workers have been issued temporary work permits for the Murray River Coal Mine near Tumbler Ridge operated by HD Mining. CBC reports that 17 Chinese miners have already arrived in the town.

Charles Gordon has told a Federal Court judge the company was also looking specifically for workers who speak Mandarin.

He says allowing the temporary workers to fill the jobs will directly affect the unions and Canadian workers, and the court should hear the unions' challenge to the permits that are allowing them to come to Canada.

However, the Crown and the mining companies say the unions have no right to challenge the temporary work permits.

Gordon says the Crown is siding with the companies and trying to silence the unions.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/12/12/bc-chinese-miners-documents.html

Chinese miners' work permits face more union challenges
The B.C. Federation of Labour says documents show it will be 14 years before Canadians replace all the temporary foreign workers from China hired to work at an underground coal mine in northern B.C.

Two unions are in court challenging more than 200 temporary foreign worker permits obtained by HD Mining for its Murray River underground coal mine near Tumbler Ridge, B.C. The employer says there were no qualified Canadians to do the specialized work at the underground mine.

Documents tendered in the case include HD Mining's previously unreleased transition plan, which outlines how the company won't start hiring Canadian miners for more than four years and plans to continue using temporary foreign workers for the next 14 years.

"What the document says categorically is it will be 4½ years before a single Canadian will be working underground at the mine," said B.C. Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair.

"After 4½ years, it will be 10 years before it will be a majority of Canadians working underground, and it will be 15 years before the temporary foreign workers are finished working in that mine."

The plan says temporary foreign workers will be used for 30 months of construction and then for two more years as they set up a training school and start recruiting and training Canadians.

HD Mining says it will take 10 years to transition work to Canadians, but documents show it will take more than four years for that process to begin. (iStock)
After that, the plan indicates it will take another decade to shift the work to Canadians at a rate of 10 per cent of the mine's workforce per year.

The company has already said it will take 10 years to transition work to Canadians, but it has not said it will take more than four years for that process to begin.

The International Union of Operating Engineers and the Construction and Specialized Workers Union are in Federal Court this week asking for an injunction to stop more foreign workers from arriving until the unions larger challenge against the permits is heard.

HD Mining needs to be told at least 50% of its work force MUST BE Canadian. They need to be told that until that happens (training, whatever) the mine will not open.