The mayor of Vancouver agrees that clothing giant Lululemon should be granted an exemption that would make it easier to hire foreign workers.
The Vancouver-based retailer has sent a letter to the House of Commons Finance Committee warning that it may have to move its head office outside of Canada over issues with the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program. It currently employs around 1,200 people at its Kitsilano headquarters.
The B.C. Federation of Labour says it's "ridiculous" the company is asking for an exemption, chalking it up to little more than a threat.
Irene Lanzinger said they are sympathetic to labour shortages, but the billion-dollar empire should focus its efforts on working with various levels of government to make sure British Columbians can end up in those jobs.
"The real solution is training," she said.
"Lululemon should use their political clout to call on the federal and provincial governments to increase training in these areas, to look at the colleges that have fashion design programs."
Lanzinger believes the letter by the company was meant to put pressure on the federal government.
The company wants an exemption similar to those already granted to universities, the film industry and Microsoft, that would make it easier for them to recruit top talent from other parts of the world.
"They say the design pool in Canada is just not significant enough to give them what they need to remain competitive," Pattie Lovett-Reid, CTV's chief financial commentator, said.
Currently, the athletic-wear firm has to complete a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) process before it can make an international hire. The process, which some companies have argued can be complicated and time-consuming, involves proving that there is no Canadian worker available to do the job.
Mayor Gregor Robertson believes Lululemon should be granted an exemption, saying he's "very concerned" that companies in the city would think of leaving over immigration policy.
He has been working with the Vancouver Economic Commission to press the federal government on changes that would help companies attract the right people to grow their businesses.
Robertson said it would have multiplier effects for the local economy and result in more jobs for local people as well.
"One manager with global experience can come in and create 50 new jobs for Canadians, as an example," he told CTV Vancouver.
Robertson said Lululemon isn't alone in its issues with the federal government over the hiring of foreign workers, saying he's also heard from CEOs in fields from film and TV to visual effects and animation.
Unless exemptions are made, Robertson warns that momentum could slow in creative industries that are helping grow the city's economy.
"It's a warning sign," he said.
"With Lululemon and other great local companies -- Arcteryx, MEC… Kit and Ace -- that are working in that space in technical apparel, and we have a real strength there, we want to keep growing that."
In a statement emailed to CTV News, Lululemon CEO Laurent Potdevin said: “As a company firmly rooted in Vancouver for eighteen years, we are proud of our Canadian heritage and deeply committed to remaining here for the long term.”
