Liberals Continue Reaching Out in Western Canada on Temporary Foreign Worker Program

May 30, 2014

FORT MCMURRAY, AB – Next week, Liberal Critic for Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism, John McCallum, will continue his national listening tour in Western Canada to hear first-hand from Canadians about the impact of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

“Canadians continue to learn of abuses resulting from the Conservatives’ mismanagement of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. That’s why Liberals are reaching out to Canadians across the country as part of a listening tour to hear their stories,” said Mr. McCallum. “This program, intended to fill genuine labour shortages in various Canadian industries, has instead driven down wages for hard-working Canadians.”

Mr. McCallum is holding roundtable discussions with employers, labour groups, and concerned Canadians in cities including Fort McMurray, Edmonton, Abbotsford, and Vancouver. The focus will be on gathering on-the-ground information about the impact of the program on families and communities. This follows earlier tour stops in Ontario and Quebec.

“The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is broken and Liberals have been calling on the government to scale back the program and implement significant reforms. On Wednesday, I introduced a motion in Parliament to increase accountability and transparency in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program as part of our five-point plan to reform the program,” said Mr. McCallum. “Liberals are committed to finding out first-hand how hard-working Canadians have been affected by the abuse of this government program.”