Media reports over alleged abuses of Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) have made it more challenging to have a calm, thorough and informed conversation about labour shortages in our country. On social media some of the comments have been downright ugly, accusing ethnic minorities – often Canadian citizens – of taking away jobs.
It casts a pall over an important debate we must have to set the record straight. The fact is that Canada needs more workers, and some of them must come from beyond our borders.
Some dispute this point. Labour leaders are among those calling for the government to scrap the program, in particular where it applies to low-skilled workers.
The politicking on the issue has not helped either. Employment Minister Jason Kenney's decision to slap a moratorium on the use of the TFWP in the restaurant industry was an overreaction to rare instances of abuse of the program. Instead of slamming the door shut for employers and their workers, he might have chosen to ramp up enforcement of existing rules.
We agree with the minister that if businesses are caught breaking the rules of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program they should lose their privileges – period. Where there is abuse the government must clamp down, but let's not overreact and cut this important tool for B.C's economic growth.
Only a small proportion of small and medium-sized businesses in Canada, about 10%, have used the TFWP to find employees, and those that do must first clearly show that they could not find a Canadian for the job.
The overwhelming majority of Canada's small businesses are looking to hire Canadians. No business owner is going to go through all the time, cost and hassle of bringing in a worker from another country if there is a ready and able worker in the local community.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business survey data clearly shows business owners are looking further and trying harder than they ever have to attract enough Canadian workers, as well as adding more flexibility in the work environment and raising wages.
But despite what some academics and commentators say, there is a serious and persistent labour shortage in Canada, particularly in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Half of the entrepreneurs in Western Canada say the shortage of qualified people has caused them to forgo business opportunities. To put it another way, this means lost growth and lost jobs for British Columbians.
There are also some jobs (or early-morning or night shifts) that many Canadians are simply not interested in doing.
It's not that they are bad jobs (most of them pay above minimum wage), and it's not that there aren't Canadians doing those jobs. It's just that there simply aren't enough Canadians to fill them all.
Some businesses can only operate because they have temporary foreign workers in addition to Canadian employees.
In other words, Canadian jobs also depend upon the TFWP.
Canada's entrepreneurs, including those who use the program, believe the program should be used to supplement, not displace, domestic workers, and any misuse of the program should be dealt with harshly.
Temporary foreign workers are not, as some claim, a cheap form of labour.
TFWs must be paid the same as Canadian workers, and after adding up all the program levies, recruitment fees and travel and accommodation costs, foreign workers are actually one of the most expensive forms of labour.
Under our laws temporary foreign workers have the same rights as Canadians.
However, after working successfully in Canada for four years, why not give foreign workers a pathway to permanent residency? This is a point that small business owners and labour leaders can agree upon.
Scrapping the program outright would do enormous damage to those businesses that have demonstrated a proven need for it and are carefully following all the rules.
The TFWP is far from perfect, and hopefully there will come a day when it is not needed. For now, however, Canada needs temporary foreign workers.
