The temporary foreign worker program is flawed. There’s just no denying it.
People, Canadian and otherwise, are being abused. Canadians are being fired, making room for foreign workers, while foreign workers are being hired, only to receive inadequate wages.
In recent weeks, these abuses have made headlines—specifically in relation to McDonalds.
And in response to the bad press, the government made a snap judgement and indefinitely suspended the temporary foreign worker program for the food services industry. The suspension will remain in effect until the government completes an audit of the program.
This action, taken by Employment Minister Jason Kenney last week, sends a strong message. It tells employers that these abuses are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
But it also puts businesses in jeopardy.
For instance, here in Jasper, many of our restaurants and cafes rely heavily on the temporary foreign worker program—especially during the summer months—to keep their establishments fully staffed for the busy tourist season.
Without these workers, they are forced to close their doors early each day, and they’re forced to run themselves and their employees into the ground, as they attempt to keep the business afloat with inadequate staff.
Of course, the argument is these employers should be hiring Canadian staff to avoid such positions, but here in Jasper, there aren’t Canadians to fill those jobs.
Despite going to great lengths—posting on numerous job banks and posting help wanted signs—few, if any, applications come in from Canadian workers.
So, although Kenney’s suspension sends a strong message to the employers who are abusing the program, it also targets employers who have been successfully and fairly using it to grow and maintain their businesses.
In that way, this suspension is unfair punishment—just because a few employers took advantage of the program doesn’t mean the entire industry should suffer.
There’s no doubt that the temporary foreign worker program needs work. It is far from perfect. But, an industry-wide suspension is not the answer.
We hope—for the sake of Jasper’s small businesses—the government finishes its audit before the summer season begins, because our businesses can’t afford to wait.
