OTTAWA — The federal government is considering new measures to curb the use of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program due to concerns about worker abuse and misuse of the program.
Following a meeting with a group of business associations, including the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC), Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault announced a suite of changes he plans to pursue to reduce the number of such workers in Canada. The decision stems from growing criticism of the government’s immigration policies, which are seen as straining housing stock and healthcare services.
Minister Boissonnault outlined possible new TFW Program measures including refusal to process low-wage TFWs for certain sectors and/or in areas with high unemployment; strict oversight and inspections; possible increases in LMIA application fees; and changes to employer eligibility to include minimum number of years in operation and/or history of layoffs.
HAC says the hotel sector isn’t likely a target but may still be unintentionally affected by some of the new regulatory measures.
Minister Boissonnault’s department plans to publish a white paper on this topic and will start discussions on these proposals next week. HAC intends to engage in these consultations.
Given his past role as Minister of Tourism, HAC maintains a solid connection with Minister Boissonnault and his team. In consultations, the association will stress that while its preferred choice is to hire domestic/permanent resident employees, TFWs are crucial in certain areas and at times of the year.
