A series of social media posts by a prominent academic have raised concerns about this country’s Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP). Specifically, it focused on how recent changes to the program are wreaking havoc on the labour market.
Dr. Mike Moffatt is an assistant professor at Ivey School of Business in London, Ont. and a senior director at the Smart Prosperity Institute at the University of Ottawa. He’s also co-host of the podcast The Missing Middle and a self-professed progressive.
In a thread posted on X, Moffat explains how the number of temporary foreign workers allowed into this country nearly tripled in 2022. (This program is separate from the one that allows in agricultural workers.)
“The federal government made some massive changes a mere 13 days after the Liberals and NDP signed the Supply and Confidence Agreement,” he says. That deal gave the NDP more power than they’ve ever had, he points out.
“The Liberals specifically knew that doubling temporary foreign workers would suppress wages. They said so back in 2013-14. And in 2023, their government more than doubled them,” he said.
“The low-wage stream allows Canadian employers to hire temporary foreign workers for jobs that pay less than the provincial median wage.”
On April 4, 2022, less than two weeks after the Liberals and NDP signed their pact, the federal government massively deregulated TFWP to “address current job vacancies across many sectors and occupations.”
The rule that allowed an employer to have only 10% of its workforce be temporary workers was changed and the number raised to 20%. In some industries like “accommodation and fast food services,” it was increased to 30%.
The rule that for some occupations a temporary foreign worker could not be brought in if the unemployment rate was 6% or higher was waived, making some employers in some high-unemployment regions now eligible.
A United Nations “special rapporteur” this week criticized the program. “Agriculture and low-wage streams of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program constitute a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery,” said Tomoya Obokata.
Not quite the workers’ paradise the NDP promised.
If a Conservative government had done this, there would be pitchforks on the streets. When Liberals and NDP do it, all we get are yawns.