Liberals Table Motion to Fix Temporary Foreign Worker Program

May 28, 2014

OTTAWA – Liberal Critic for Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism, John McCallum, today issued the following statement on his motion to bring accountability to the broken Temporary Foreign Worker Program:

“Rather than taking real, meaningful action, the Conservatives have continued to demonstrate their incompetence on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. That is why I have tabled a motion in the House of Commons calling for practical, immediate reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. As part of our five-point plan, this motion will increase accountability and transparency in the program, while also ensuring increased levels of program oversight.

“Last week, I hosted a series of successful roundtable discussions with stakeholders, community members, and community groups in Brampton, Hamilton, Ottawa, and Montreal on the impact that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program has had on Canadians. It is clear from these discussions that the program must be reformed.

“New evidence suggests that the federal government has approved thousands of temporary foreign workers at pay rates that are well below what the program allows. This has driven down Canadian wages and has provided yet another example of the troubling mismanagement of this program at the hands of the Conservatives.

“I encourage all of my colleagues in the House – including those on the government side – to stand up for Canadian workers and support this motion.”

Background:

Mr. McCallum’s motion is as follows:

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should immediately amend the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to: (a) establish a mandatory complaint tracking system; (b) ensure compulsory and regular workplace audits; (c) require mandatory disclosure of investigations into abuses of the program; (d) require mandatory disclosure of federal employer compliance reviews; and (e) establish a monthly disclosure regime that indicates the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada by (i) region, (ii) National Occupation Classification code, (iii) employer.