THE Canadian Federation of Independent Business, B.C., said on Thursday that Premier David Eby’s calls to scrap Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program are misguided.
In a post on X, the CFIB-BC said: “For many small businesses in BC, especially in rural and remote areas, the TFW Program is a last resort that keeps the doors open, protects Canadian jobs and fills gaps where no local workers are available. It is not “cheap labour.” Employers must pay significant government fees, transportation and housing costs, and workers are paid the prevailing wage set by Ottawa. 94% of employers also comply with enhanced protection rules.”
It noted: “Without the program, many BC restaurants, farms and care providers would shut down, which would displace Canadian workers as well. Adjustments to the program make sense, but cancelling it altogether puts politics ahead of sensible policy.”
ON Wednesday, Dan Kelly, President and CEO of the CFIB, said in a post on X: “Adjusting the numbers of Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada based on the current state of the job market makes sense. Suggesting that the program be permanently scrapped makes no sense at all. There are dozens of legitimate reasons why small businesses use the program to fill persistent labour market gaps. Zero employers of entry level workers use it because it is “cheaper labour”. Employers must pay thousands in fees, the return overseas travel for their workers and help with accommodation. We have many parts of Canada – particularly in rural and remote communities – with very few available entry level workers for jobs on which local people depend.”
He said that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Michelle Rempel Garner, Conservative critic for immigration, “rightly note that there are legitimately difficult-to-fill positions for agricultural labour and suggest a standalone program. But this is also true for many other jobs and regions. Do we believe there are line-ups of Canadian youth looking to move to rural Saskatchewan to take a job washing dishes at the pizza place or small town Quebec to clean hotel rooms? Even if the wages were double (and far outside of the reach of any small business owner)?”
He added: “Restaurant owners regularly tell me that their use of the TFW program protects jobs for Canadians. They tell me that they need some core staff that are ready to work the shifts Canadians don’t want or in roles Canadian youth don’t like. If you can’t find a good cook for your Mexican restaurant or someone to work the late shift at the drive through, your other Canadian staff lose their jobs.”
Kelly said: “I take no issue with making changes to the TFW program. CFIB has long suggested there be an ongoing pathway to permanent residency for entry level workers after a year or two in Canada. But suggesting the program be permanently scrapped is putting politics ahead of sensible policy.”
