Temporary Foreign Worker Program

[GrooveTunes]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/55-tree-planters-win-600k-over-slave-like-discrimination-in-b-c-1.2652622

[sooperphreek]

what happened to the good old days when canada needed immigration and they opened the doors to the country and rewarded hard workers? we have whole pockets in the prairies with distinctive eastern european names who toiled the land and became proud canadians who had sons fight in wars. people who became productive parts of our society and were a tax base for our success (or excesses). i think of what a different place the USA would be if they had the same policies in the past they have now. much of the success they had in the 20th century was a result of the open arms policy they had at one time. if they keep closing themselves in they will become stagnant and irrelevant.

[jimmy4321]

I agree 100%

If foreign workers want to come here and work hard to better their lives, we need to make it easier for them to become citizens if that's their goal.

[hobbyguy]

Unfortunately the TFW program has morphed into a "guest worker" program that does not provide the TFWs with sufficient income to support their families in Canada. There is already a special mechanism for them to convert to being immigrants (CEC immigration path).

However, if they become immigrants, they become Canadians and have (in actual practice) the full protection of Canada's laws etc. Their employers will dump them like hot potatoes because they will now have to pay them properly, provide some benefits, pay overtime etc. - CATCH 22.

IF these employers raised the level of pay a bit, provided stable and workable hours, and provided benefits - well golly gee, lookit that, unemployed Canadians filled those jobs.

Please note that I consider all immigrants as "Canadians" - because they are, and are welcome.

[Smurf]

Finally some action. Hopefully it works.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tempora ... -1.2682209

Today, the government said it received growing reports of abuses, with over 1,000 complaints filed through a tip line launched on April 6.

Maybe there are/were a few more problems than some would like to have us believe.


http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-story--4-.htm

There has not been a single inspection done of a workplace that employs temporary foreign workers — even though the Conservative government promised to do so last year when it overhauled the controversial program for the first time.

Now, with further reforms set to be announced early Friday afternoon, questions are being raised about why Ottawa has been so slow to act on a major part of changes announced last December.

The Canadian Press made a request under the Access to Information Act for all inspection reports of workplaces that employ temporary foreign workers. But in a letter dated June 2, Employment and Social Development Canada replied that no inspections have been carried out.


"Department officials have informed our office that workplace inspections are expected to occur beginning in fall 2014," wrote Jackie Holden, the department's director of access to information and privacy.

"As a result, ESDC does not have the information you requested."

New regulations announced last December gave the government the power to inspect workplaces to make sure employers were following the rules of the temporary worker program.

Even before Employment Minister Jason Kenney could unveil his new approach in a news conference on Friday, a bill giving the government the power to fine employers received royal assent.

The budget implementation bill became law late Thursday. Deep in the legislation are provisions that give the employment minister a bigger say in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and that allow the government to set up a system of "administrative monetary penalties" to slap on employers who don't follow the rules.

But Liberal critic John McCallum is not convinced the Conservative changes will make the temporary foreign workers program more fair for Canadian workers and businesses.

"In general, they've taken a lot of years to totally mess things up," he said in a phone interview. "They've been pushing and pushing for more (foreign workers) and now all of a sudden they're pushing for less."

Even if the reforms plug holes in the temporary workers program, employers will still be able to find loopholes through the International Experience Canada program, he argued.

"I'm not confident in their desire to really fix it other than to deflate a political crisis."

Calls to Kenney's office were not immediately returned.

Both opposition parties are concerned that the government is meddling with the job market without having reliable information to base policy on.

"Here we are using a lot of guess work to fix a program that even the Conservatives have admitted — right up to the prime minister — is fundamentally broken," said the NDP's Jinny Sims.

She wants to see specific provisions that would require employers to hire Canadians first and boost wages as a first step to finding the right workers if they don't come forward immediately.

The program has become a hot potato for the Harper government ever since stories of abuses came to light in the news media, including one case where Royal Bank employees were asked to train foreign workers to take over their jobs.

In February, 65 Alberta ironworkers alleged they were let go so that foreign workers could replace them.

Canadian firms are using the program more and more to fill both high- and low-skilled positions, despite relatively high levels of unemployment and data showing that the ratio of unemployed to job vacancies is rising.

A recent government calculation estimated there were 386,000 temporary foreign workers in Canada, or about two per cent of the labour force, up from about 100,000 in 2002.

No inspections completed. Has this government has been fooling around hoping this would just go away.

Note the governments estimated total of temporary foreign workers. I believe it is also much higher than some would have us believe.

[JLives]

I should tell my neighbour about that line. Her boss told her he was approached by a few individuals offering several thousand dollars to replace her position with a TFW.

[hobbyguy]

Here is the "official" info on the reforms: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?mthd=tp&crtr.page=3&nid=859859&crtr.tp1D=1

What's missing:

1. Requirements for employers to increase training availability. If employers refuse to say, offer pipefitters apprenticeships, they will always be able to justify the need for TFWs.

2. Still allowed to hire TFWs and qualify for them based on the median wage. That continues the wage suppression. In high cost areas (like Fort Mack) you can not attract Canadians because they can't afford to go there for the median wage for the job in Alberta as a whole. That should have been replaced with "upper quintile" wage offers as a prerequisite qualification for job postings in shortage areas. Might not be attractive to go to a small town with high costs etc. for $24/hr, but if the wage offered is $32/hr I'd bet there would be more applicants.

3. Accurate assessment of job markets. The gutting of Statscan has resulted in relying on Kijiji????

Note that in this release from the government, the TFWs that they admit to are .44 + 1.16 = 1.6% of the workforce. It would be reasonable to estimate that IF employers looked ahead and offered adequate training programs, and they were prepared to allow the free market to work in the labor market (that is, offer higher wages to attract people), then we could get back to pretty much where the program was prior to all the fiddling about by Harper. That would reduce the program by 64%. That would mean that unemployment in Canada would drop by over a full percentage point to just under 6%.

I note also that Kenney makes no reference to fixing the "youth" work exchange programs. Those have been expanded dramatically and offer these same employers a huge loophole. Jason old fella', I just can't buy that you define someone who is 35 years old as a "youth".

What I see Kenney and Alexander doing is tightening "category A", and then loosening "category B" so that the status quo is maintained in terms of TFWs. And then, of course, after the election in 2015, if the Harperites win, or if it flies under the radar of a new gov't, the "EOI" expedited immigration policy kicks to fill any gaps created in the TFW program that have not already been "loopholed" for employers.

I will give Kenney credit for making some progress on reining in the rampant use of TFWs. But there is a "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" going on to some extent.

Will the new LMIA be any better than the LMO system? Nope. Same thing with a different name, and still suffering from the same lack of information because because Harper and crew will never, never, backtrack on their gutting of Statscan.

Heavens, then you and I might actually be able to see what is going on! Can't have that.

[Smurf]

I'm afraid hobbyguy that I agree you are probably right. Hopefully people won't let it go,possibly make it an election issue. maybe something would get done. Only time will tell.

[WTTG]

Seems the Conservatives did themselves something unusual for us on this. The commissioned a public survey that may have actually yielded statistically accurate results.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/canadians-support-fines-for-foreign-worker-program-abuses-poll-suggests-1.1873343

But then they go and put in a policy whereby they’ll publish the names of the business that are granted permits to hire temporary foreign workers. Big woop.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/temporary-foreign-worker-program-to-be-made-more-transparent-1.2681436

How about taking a proactive approach by first publishing the applications before the permits are granted? Seems to me that might give qualified Canadian job seekers a chance to see what might be going out the door, and give them an opportunity to negotiate for the job.

Canadian helicopter pilots say cheap temporary foreign workers ‘slowly killing the industry’

Canadian Press | April 30, 2014 6:57 PM ET

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/04/30/canadian-helicopter-pilots-say-cheap-temporary-foreign-workers-slowly-killing-the-industry/

. . . Mr. Wadsworth said he recently applied for several jobs at B.C. companies that he learned had subsequently sought temporary foreign workers. In each case, he was told there were no openings. . . .

(Previously posted here by Smurf http://forums.castanet.net/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=56216&p=1654943&hilit=Temporary+foreign+worker+helicopter+pilot#p1654943)

[Liquidnails]

The oil and gas industry is so heavily regulated that they can barely turn a profit. I heard the CEOs have to take a bus to work because they can't even afford a car. Those poor people. I understand why they are hiring TFWs. All that money in union wages has simply sunk these companies. The life expectancy of an oil and gas company is about the same as a WWI pilot.

As sad as it is for these Canadian workers, our hearts really should go out to the plight of the people who run these companies. Barely turning profit day in and day out. Slaving away so we can drive cars. Such sacrifices they make. Let us all have a moment of respect for the management of these companies. They deserve it.

There's my Rwede impression.

[Glacier]

I was in Whitehorse recently and stopped in A&W. Every single employee was a TFW. A few hours later I stopped at Tim Horton's. Same thing. Finally, I stopped at KFC, and again, the same thing. Then I was leaving downtown and saw a guy who looked jobless looking for bottles to earn a few bucks. Given the fact that bottle refunds have't gone up in 20 years, I'd say this guy was working for a lot less than minimum wage.

[Atomoa]

I didn't know the Charter of Rights and Freedoms denoted that every Canadian should have easy access to a Teen Burger and a Double Double served to them by workers being paid the absolute bare minimum wage allowed - no mater their geographic location and regardless of the condition of the local economy and labour market.

If we have to import a Tibetan Sherpa to get a Canadian a maple donut @ minimum wage in the Yukon, so be it.

A franchise owner needs to be able to make a living.

Canada's Economic Action Plan - At Work For You.

[GrooveTunes]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/temporary-foreign-worker-program-complaints-began-in-2006-1.2685056

[hobbyguy]

That article confirms that the Harperites were quite happy to "sell Canadian workers down the river".

There is a lot more damage to the Canadian economy from this gross mismanagement than immediately hits home. Even Kenney admits that it has resulted in wage suppression. Wage suppression lowers inflation. Wage suppression lowers GDP growth (most wage earners - especially in the "unskilled" categories spend their money quickly - and in Canada, not a foreign country remittance). Low inflation is the excuse for super low interest rates, which rob savers, especially seniors, of income - which they would have spent, further increasing economic activity and jobs. The low interest rates have lead to very high real estate prices - which hurts working folks badly, both now and especially in the future. (Lower real estate prices + higher mortgage rates would have the same effect on younger workers in the short/mid terms.) Lower interest rates have forced many folks into higher than appropriate risk levels in their savings portfolios. Canadian businesses that don't export have been hurt by sluggish domestic markets. If their customers had more money (i.e. their wages and interest incomes were not suppressed) then Canadian market based businesses would be doing better and there would be more jobs, and more profits for those companies.

Even the "right leaning" editor of the local paper suggest that this TFW program ought to out right scrapped.

But Harper and Kenney won't do that, at least not until the "EOI" corporatization of our immigration system is in place - that happens just after the next election.

My prediction: the "EOI" corporatized immigration system will be rorted just as badly or worse than the TFW program that the Harperites turned into a "guest worker" program. The problem then is that "EOI" system it will be much more difficult to fix, as the "EOI" immigrants will have many more rights under Canadian law. Harper and his wrecking crew selling us down the river again...

[hobbyguy]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/albertans-react-to-temporary-foreign-worker-program-changes-1.2683201

The response from Alberta politicians to changes in the TFW program is instructive:

"Albertan politicians, however, are not necessarily happy with the news.

“Some of these solutions being suggested by the federal government as replacements to the TFW program might work in other areas of the country, but they are not going to work here,” said Kyle Fawcett, Alberta’s Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour."

Normally, I find some reasoned stuff in what Brent Rathgeber has to say, but this time his reaction seems just plain reactionary: http://brentrathgeber.ca/fridays-changes-to-the-temporary-foreign-worker-program-will-hurt-alberta/

"The political solution, therefore, should not be so elusive to the Ottawa brain trust. The program is desperately needed in Alberta; it is politically unpopular almost everywhere else. So why not devolve responsibility for the program to the Province of Alberta in a manner not dissimilar to how the Province of Quebec has enhanced responsibility for immigration settlement??"

That notion, that Alberta should control the TFW program because of what right wing Alberta wants, while Alberta is trying to stuff an unwanted bitumen pipeline system down the throats of BC residents, seems rather odd. It ties in with the "firewall around Alberta" notions that Harper signed onto, and Ralph Klein dismissed.

What they are missing is that labour markets should also be "free markets" in a "free market" economy. That means that if you can't get enough employees at "x" wage, then you raise the wages! If you pay enough, then Canadians will come and fill those jobs.

There is no labour shortage or skills shortage in Canada. Assuming full time employment, the minimum wage in BC is about 30% of the median family income. The minimum wage in Alberta is only 23% of the median family income. The minimum wage in Alberta would need to be raised by 26% to be equivalent to BC. That is an indication that there is a huge amount of wage slack room for Alberta employers to raise wages, especially at the bottom end. Yet somehow Alberta seems to think it can have a "booming economy" without the attendant "booming wages" for all.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/28/pf/north_dakota_jobs/

"you can make $15 an hour serving tacos, $25 an hour waiting tables and $80,000 a year driving trucks." Those figures, by the way, are USD.

"Taco John's, a Western fast-food chain, has increased its pay from $8.50 an hour to $15 an hour in Williston to hold on to its workers during its busiest shifts. It's also trying to keep pace with competitors, including the Subway and Hardee's down the street, said general manager Christie Smith."

And no, they aren't going broke after raising wages by 76%!