Minister Randy Boissonnault announces new measures to address misuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Minister says he will hold stakeholder consultations this fall on long-term labour market solutions
This week, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment and Workforce Development, met with industry representatives, including Trucking HR Canada, to announce new measures meant to curb misuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The new measures include:
- Enforcing consistent application of the 20 per cent cap policy for temporary foreign workers. This includes the policy for the “dual intent sub-stream”, which applies to temporary foreign workers who intend to apply for permanent residency. Employers using this stream will be subject to more stringent guidelines;
- Applying stricter and more rigorous oversight in high-risk areas when processing Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) and when conducting inspections.
In addition to these measures, the government is considering further changes to the program to help protect foreign workers and support the integrity of the Canadian labour market. Changes under consideration include:
- Increasing LMIA fees to pay for additional integrity and processing activities;
- Changes to employer eligibility (for example, requiring a minimum number of years of business operations or evaluating an employer’s history of lay-offs);
- Implementing a refusal to process applications under the low-wage stream, which would prevent employers in certain areas and industries from using the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Minister Boissonnault acknowledged the challenges recent economic conditions have created for businesses but insisted that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is designed as an extraordinary measure and not as an alternative to hiring and training Canadian workers. To explore real, long-term solutions to labour market challenges, the Minister plans to host consultations and a Workforce Summit in the fall. Trucking HR Canada looks forward to participating in these vital conversations.
For more information on the updates to Temporary Foreign Worker Program, see the official news release from Employment and Social Development Canada.