Ottawa expands work program
2 new offices to help ease labour needs
Feb 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Nicholas Keung
IMMIGRATION/DIVERSITY REPORTER
Ottawa is expanding the temporary foreign worker program into Ontario to help fill the province's labour needs, a move some fear could further hurt already underutilized and underpaid skilled immigrants.
Immigration Minister Diane Finley announced yesterday the opening of the program's two new offices in Toronto and Moncton, N.B., in addition to the three already established in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.
"Employers across Canada now have a dedicated point of service where they can get help getting the workers they need," Finley said in a statement. "The units will help make the process easier for employers, and will help strengthen local and regional economies."
The foreign worker program has been around for decades, originally designed to attract elite professionals and specific low-skilled labourers, such as live-in caregivers and agricultural workers. It has grown exponentially in the last couple of years to also include low-skilled foreign workers, especially in Alberta's restaurants, hospitality, oil sands and construction industry.
Last year, Canada took in 125,000 temporary overseas workers – a 32 per cent increase from five years ago. The program is promised to grow as it supplements the backlogged immigration point system, which targets skilled workers but fails to respond effectively to labour market changes.
Though Ontario remains the top destination for temporary foreign workers, the fastest growth of the general labour intake is in Alberta, which received 91,000 applications and approved 37,000 in 2007.
However, the abuse and exploitation of these workers were so rampant the Alberta Federation of Labour last spring set up an advocate office to assist the growing rank of temporary workers who often face language barriers and are unfamiliar with Canada's labour laws.
In its first six months of operation, the office received inquiries from more than 1,400 people; 89 cases involved workers brought to Canada by third-party brokers, who charged $3,000 to $10,000 for services with misleading claims.
