The Temporary foreign worker program or TFWP is a program of the Government of Canada to allow employers in Canada to hire foreign nationals. When the program started in 1973, most of the workers brought in were high-skill workers such as specialist doctors. In 2002 a "low-skilled workers" category was added; this category now makes up most of the temporary foreign workforce. In 2006, the program was expanded and fast-tracking introduced for some locations. It was revised again in 2013, raising wages, charging employer fees, and removing the accelerated applications. The total number of TFW more than doubled between 1993 and 2013, to 338,189 workers. Between 2006 and 2014, more than 500,000 workers were brought into Canada under the program. In 2013 there were 338,000 foreign workers in Canada. Some temporary foreign workers have said they can be treated worse than Canadian co-workers, because of the way in which the Canadian residence of a temporary foreign worker is tied to an employer. Apart from their temporary status, temporary foreign workers have the same employment rights as Canadian workers, and can phone a free 1-800 number for help. It is against Canadian federal rules to bring in temporary foreign workers if Canadian workers are available. For an employer to hire a Temporary Foreign Worker or for a TFW to work in a company they started in Canada, they may need to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment. A positive LMIA or a confirmation letter grants permission to the employer who proves that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job as no Canadian worker is available and that such hiring will not negatively impact the Canadian labour market.,
Controversies
2013
In April 2013 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation started reporting on issues surrounding the hiring of temporary foreign workers. On April 6, 2013, CBC News reported that Canadian RBC information technology workers were losing their jobs to replacement foreign workers. The foreign workers were brought from India by outsourcing firm iGATE, and the Royal Bank of Canada employees trained their replacements before they themselves were laid off, causing their appeal to the media. The CBC also reported that a Chinese company which owns a mine in British Columbia was attempting to import workers from China. According to the Huffington Post one of the requirements of the job was the ability to speak Mandarin Chinese. In October 2013 the Huffington Post reported that the Alberta Federation of Labour said foreign workers were displacing Canadian workers in Fort McMurray. The report claimed that 270 Canadian workers employed by a Toronto-based firm were to be replaced by foreign workers employed by an Italian firm On October 23, 2013 Global News reported that a company in Saskatoon was helping farmers recruit temporary foreign workers to help farmers. It was reported that the Canadian Federation of Agriculture estimates the Canada is in need of 30,000 seasonal and longer-term farm workers. Employment Canada acknowledged that there was a shortage of agricultural workers.
Political reaction
The move resulted in a strong negative reaction from the public and drew the attention of the office of the minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. Human Resources Minister Diane Finley issued a statement saying the situation is unacceptable if it is true. The Royal Bank responded to the controversy by issuing a statement denying the charges and offering clarification of the situation. A reported 45 employees lost their jobs, nevertheless RBC had indicated that they intended to expand this practice in the coming year. In May 2013, this program was the focus of a debate between the Canadian government and the oppositionNDP party. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was questioned at the House of Commons about the program. The CBC reported that some employers were said to be abusing the TFWP by bringing in temporary foreign workers to areas where qualified local workers were collecting Employment Insurance benefits. During Question Period Harper said that the government had addressed this issue before 2013, and that changes had been made to both the EI Program and the TFWP in order to address these issues. He stated that the NDP did not cooperate at the time in the introduction of the changes and that NDP MPs requested more foreign workers in their own ridings. The CBC found In 2013 that in Saskatchewan, 65 per cent of recent newly created jobs were held by temporary foreign workers, and in Nova Scotia over one thousand employers had requested foreign workers.
2014
Restaurant workers
In April 2014, other issues with the program came under scrutiny by the CBC relating to the procurement of temporary foreign unskilled labour by McDonald's Canada.
2014 political reaction
In January 2014, Employment Minister Jason Kenney pledged a second round of reforms citing employee frustration. On April 24, 2014, Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment, announced that the FTWP had been suspended for the Food services industry. It has now been renewed.
2014 Microsoft gets green light for foreign workers
In December 2014 the CBC reported that Microsoft Canada obtained an exemption from the Canadian federal government that will allow the company to bring in an unspecified number of temporary foreign workers to British Columbia. The trainee foreign workers will be hired without requiring Microsoft to look for Canadian workers who could fill the positions - most of whom will be from India and China.
