temporary foreign workers

The alarming new blueprint for Canadian citizenship and immigration policy

Important changes to Canadian citizenship and immigration policy have broken into the headlines of late, from the introduction of the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act to serious abuses of the controversial temporary foreign worker program to refugee ...

Profiting from the precarious: new report details recruitment abuse of migrant workers

As scandals about abuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program break with increasing regularity, the spotlight still overlooks the exploitation that workers face just to get jobs under that program.

A new report from the Metcalf Foundation reveals that migrant workers regularly pay thousands of dollars in recruiting fees — equal to as much as two to three years’ wages in their home currency — to work in minimum wage jobs in Ontario. 

To pay the fees, workers must borrow from recruiters and informal money lenders.  They sign over the...

Why Canada should welcome labour shortages

Employer groups such as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business insist that their members need continued access to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program since Canada is experiencing an acute labour shortage, including a shortage of low-skilled workers.

That claim is highly dubious, and should be rejected by the federal government, which is now reviewing the program.

Yes, we have some shortages of highly skilled workers, especially in provinces with very low unemployment rates. These can be responded to by increasing training of...

Sheila Block: Reducing Labour Market Inequality in Canada, Three Steps at a Time

This note looks at three policy initiatives that would improve working conditions for lower-income Canadians. Reflecting on the complexity of these issues, this would require action at all three levels of government. Two out of the three initiatives require changes in legislation or regulations and would therefore not have any impact on government budgets. However, all require political will to take on both established orthodoxy and vested interests.
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