A new research snapshot from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) tackles five of the most persistent myths about Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), separating evidence and program rules from perception and political rhetoric.
“The narrative around the temporary foreign worker program has totally lost the plot over the past few months,” said Dan Kelly, CFIB president.
“There are dozens of legitimate reasons why small businesses use the TFW program to fill persistent labour market gaps, often to the benefit of Canadian workers in the business. Temporary workers are always more costly than hiring locally available workers. Vilifying the businesses that need TFWs to fill the positions that Canadians don’t want does nothing to address program gaps, nor tackle the real issues weighing down our economy.”
CFIB said the snapshot, Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada: Myths vs Realities, challenges five common misconceptions, including: Employers are addicted to TFWs; TFWs take jobs from Canadians and especially young Canadians; TFWs supress Canadian wages; TFWs strain local housing, and abuse is widespread and goes unchecked.
The CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members across every industry and region.
“The TFW program is structured around ensuring TFWs are not replacing Canadians. There are rigid processes and hefty costs that employers go through to fill a position. Simply scrapping or restricting the program won’t solve Canada’s labour market challenges,” said Christina Santini, CFIB’s director of national affairs. “We need a sensible, sustainable approach to this program that takes small business realities into account.”
Over half (52%) of small business owners using the temporary foreign worker program said that TFWs enabled them to continue employing Canadians and providing Canada with essential goods and services. One in five respondents in Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)’s employer survey also found that hiring TFWs improved their ability to hire more Canadians.
To keep supply chains moving and to help small businesses fill critical labour gaps, CFIB recommends policymakers:
- Retain a focused TFWP and reject the misinformation.
- Facilitate the retention of TFWs already in Canada through a grandfathering clause.
- Provide a pathway to permanent residency for lower-skilled TFWs who have maintained their legal status, acquired work experience in Canada, and paid taxes.
- Let employers make their case as to why they are unable to hire a Canadian for their position instead of issuing a blanket refusal to process policy.
- Reduce the program’s administrative burden.
- Consult employers and the business community in advance of future reforms.
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All smoke and mirrors nonsense. If you can’t employ a Canadian you don’t deserve to be in business. If you can’t recruit employees than your business model and compensation are unreasonable and inappropriate. Offer wages that sustain a livelihood or go bust. These TFW programs prop up otherwise failing businesses. Why is it society’s fault that nobody wants to work for certain companies? Business is a high risk endeavor and coddling these businesses does nothing except drive down wages and deny a Canadian a chance at employment. Payroll is a vital component of every business and an inability to compensate employees with appropriate wages is the number one sign that the business is either run poorly or outright unsustainable. Shame on the CFIB for peddling this propaganda hogwash.