Canada’s employment minister says a review of the country’s scandal-ridden temporary foreign worker program is necessary to crack down on abuses and protect Canadian jobs.
Speaking in Vancouver, Jason Kenney told reporters he’s “heard about a number of abuses in the program that we believe require strong action.”
The words come less than a day after Kenney announced the food services sector will no longer be able to make use of the program until it undergoes a review by his department.
That decision followed a damning report from the C.D. Howe Institute that concluded the program caused joblessness in the provinces of B.C. and Alberta.
Kenney says the moratorium should be a “wake up call” for the fast-food industry.
He called upon business owners to raise wages for fast-food workers and employ more Canadians.
But Kenney has insisted that there are only a “handful” of businesses that have been abusing the program, and hiring foreign workers over Canadians.
He said the program is only supposed to be used as a last resort when Canadians aren’t available but there have been some serious allegations of abuse at major fast-food outlets.
“We simply will not tolerate abuses within this program,” the minister said, adding that protecting the jobs of Canadians is key.
“We want to make sure Canadians get the first crack at available jobs,” he said.
Backing away from the program
Tim Hortons has announced it will inspect locations that employ temporary foreign workers after reports that two locations, including one in Fernie, B.C., breached labour rules.
McDonald’s Canada is freezing its participation in the program after allegations that foreign workers at three Victoria franchises were being favoured over Canadians.
The franchisee behind those restaurants was blacklisted by the federal government and the fast food giant is severing its relationship with the owner.
B.C. NDP Opposition Employment Critic Jinny Sims is calling for an independent investigation and a broader moratorium on the program.
"It's the government, and it's time this Conservative government took responsibility for a program that they have allowed to be used and abused, even when they have known about it," Sims said.
Restaurants Canada says there are about 22,000 temporary foreign workers in the industry.
Kenney says workers whose permits expire likely won’t be able to renew them for the forseeable future.
“Anyone who comes into Canada on a temporary residence on a work permit knows they're coming as a temporary resident, not as a permanent resident. So that should not be a surprise,” he said.
Not limited to restaurants
A labour group in Alberta says it can prove more than 200 recent cases where the temporary foreign worker program has extended beyond the food service industry.
The Alberta Federation of Labour says the province paid foreign workers less than the prevailing wage rate to workers in hotels, gas stations, casinos, convenience stores, greenhouses, feedlots and nurseries.
Federation president Gil McGowan said Jason Kenney should resign.
