300 Canadians laid off, replaced by temp. foreign workers

[omisimaw]

On the west block now!

[alfred2]

The ndp federal was quoted as saying that canadians will not work for $14 an hour , what do you want to pay 10 for a mac.

[Donald G]

To Alfred ll ...

I would have no problem paying more for a Mac if I thought that the additional cost was going to increased pay and benefits for the employees, rather than increased profit for the company owners and managers. The same goes for everything else made and sold in Canada.

[alfred2]

*removed*

[Donald G]

*removed*

P.S. I can afford it and Canada has been extremely good to our family since we came here three generations ago. Most from a heavily bombed port city near Glasgow, some from bombed out London and my father directly from a prisoner of war camp where, as a true Scotsman, he survived by eating rodents and oats stolen from the horses.

[omisimaw]

I think what most individuals do not realize is that not all foreign workers are brought to Canada to work.
Temporary work permits are also issued "in" Canada to individuals who originally arrived as students, family members of persons on TWP's, and those waiting processing for things such as refugee claims.
Yes, there are programs bringing in skilled labour where shortages are shown, but in all honesty that is sometimes questionable at best i.e. Jamaican influx to Okanagan on TWP's.
It is also a way to circumvent the rules surrounding permanent residency and has been used this way for decades.
Oh, there have been some adjustments to the rules and regulations surrounding the issuance of work authorizations over time but basically they are decades old and the whole program needs to be reviewed.
There is absolutely no excuse for a student on a student authorization for instance being granted permission to also take a job, especially if it is a low paying job that other Canadian students should and could be doing.

[Donald G]

omisimaw ...

10/10

[bob vernon]

Temporary Foreign Workers come from somewhere. They are recruited in countries by "agents" who connect them to Canada for a "fee" plus a percentage of the earnings. There are currently, by the government's own numbers, about 368,000 temporary foreign workers here. Even at a modest skimming of a dollar an hour from these workers, there are several million dollars per day being collected. Where does this money go? Does any of it find it's way into Swiss or Bahamian bank accounts? Who might own these accounts? Would a foreign recruiter be willing to show his appreciation for being allowed to collect this money by funneling a piece of the action to someone in charge of the program?

This whole program stinks of corruption and should be closed down. We have a youth unemployment problem in this country and we import people to be here temporarily? It's just wrong on so many levels. And when we see our government encouraging this program to continue, it just looks so corrupt.

[omisimaw]

Bob although what you say can happen it is not as widespread as you make out. There are also Canadian "agents" that engage in that type of behaviour but it is picked up on quite quickly and the target countries are always under the radar.
True enough however this whole program should have been shut off years ago until we now longer have a disgusting unemployment rate for all ages and skill levels and most definitely there should be absolutely no, zero, permits issued within Canada as a secondary to the main purpose of an individuals entry.
In other words when a student for instance applies for and receives a student visa to attend an educational institute (even that needs reworking) they are supposed to be able to supply for their upkeep, attend school, keep their grades up sufficient to pass and then leave. Over the years this has stretched to them claiming poverty and need to work, claiming working in an English environment enhances their learning experience etc etc. Some of these courses are for simple english as a second language.... well if you want to take Japanese or Chinese as a second language try doing this in reverse and getting all that goes with it.
Do not forget when they work here they pay EI and they collect when they have enough hours and are open to all the programs too...
And so to state that someone is laid off, or their hours are dropped, a born and raised Canadian or permanent resident, that is absolutely an end to it and the employer should be denied any new applications and have all the permits cancelled!

[Donald G]

Seems to be another example of Canadian Businesses misusing a legitimate benefit that was put in place to aid low margin businesses that were having serious and legitimate difficulty finding workers.

[omisimaw]

Seems to be another example of Canadian Businesses misusing a legitimate benefit that was put in place to aid low margin businesses that were having serious and legitimate difficulty finding workers.

Unfortunately those days were long gone by 1980!

[Donald G]

To omisimaw ...

The are those in the fruit, vegetable, grain and other food production industries in Canada who would not agree with you that the demand for low paid workers ended in the 1980s.

As we move to a world economy, with enhanced food preservation and transportation systems, Canadian food producers are, more and more, being put in the position of having to compete against foods produced in third world and other such countries with very low salary, safety and working condition standards.

There is still a serious need for temp foreign workers but restrictions are needed to stop the abuse. For a number of years the Okanagan was inundated with University students from Quebec who followed the fruit industry. Why were employers permitted to replace them with foreign workers?

[omisimaw]

The Okanagan is still inundated with Quebec field workers.
Legitimate business is still able to access TWP, no one said they were not.
But... it is the lack of resources to enforce who is legitimate and who is not, it is the lack of review and it is the antiquated rules that went by the wayside in 1980....
There is far more abuse than there is legitimate use of the temporary worker permissions in Canada and it has now boiled over into those who live and are legally eligible to work not working.
There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that a burger flipper should be employed by way of a work authorization!

[matai]

And why BC students don't take the farm job? Is it because they don't need to work because they still live at home with mom and dad paying for everything or is it that they don't want to work?

[omisimaw]

And why BC students don't take the farm job? Is it because they don't need to work because they still live at home with mom and dad paying for everything or is it that they don't want to work?

I think it is a little bit of both, but i totally agree that there is no motivation in most of the youth today. Sad fact but true!
Heck, how many kids do you see mowing their family yard even? or shoveling the walk when it snows.... LOL nope cool or warm depending on the season in front of the video games!
BUT there are lots of moms, dads and even grandma and grandpa's that would be more than willing to work at low wages to augment pensions and low income wage earner. Also those on EI or Income assistance would probably be willing IF they did not have to give up dollar for dollar the assistance they receive.