Canada Temporary Foreign Worker Programme Appraisal In The Pipeline

As per a report, an all-out evaluation of the popular Temporary Foreign Worker Programme (TFWP)--which enables recruiters of Canada to take into service overseas people, to meet labour requirements in the nation--seems in the offing.

A concerned person reportedly stated that she will urge a parliamentary committee for suggestions to duly optimize the scheme. She indicated that it is opportune for a serious assessment of the entire scheme. And, one would like to present it to a House committee to appraise, even while there are issues on this scheme.

Significantly, the previous Conservative administration had passed the restructurings that became effective in the month of June, 2014. These reorganizations restrict overseas employees to 10% of a firm’s total manpower in low-paying jobs, and stop job-providers/companies from appointing them in areas of high joblessness.

In majority of the societies with an unemployment rate more than 6%, companies cannot meet the criteria for the plan in case employing employees at a wage lower than the regional median for the given opening.

The improvements of 2014 were allegedly introduced chiefly in response to many high-profile cases in which some Canadian recruiters allegedly exploited the plan. While the Liberals condemned the management of the plan by the Conservative administration--both prior to and post the restructurings, specific reforms to the scheme did not constitute part of the Liberal Party election platform of 2015.

The scream to make further reforms in reply to existing and likely labour market requirements arrives mainly from the Atlantic caucus of Liberals. Every seat in Atlantic Canada in the 2015 general election were captured by the Liberals, and lawmakers from the area are reportedly leaving no stones unturned for improvements, asserting the checks hurt seasonal businesses & the service segment.

According to a Liberal parliamentarian, it is crucial that the scheme is revamped to consider the demands of seasonal businesses. He indicated that reforms over the last few years have affected seasonal businesses. The manpower is getting older even as the out-migration is important.

Echoing a somewhat similar feeling, a different Liberal lawmaker added that the scheme in its present form does not do any good to regional tourism & fish processing businesses, in the process, making it fairly tough to acquire seasonal workers.

She added that because of the truth one is powerless to enlist under the TFWP, one has observed a great deal of businesses having to either shut down or decrease their hours and days of operations. And, it is actually affecting services to societies that require that service.

Significantly, the Liberals also allegedly think there is a pressing need of a more concrete corridor to citizenship for the overseas labor force—several of whom want to stay in the nation, even as they set up their lives there in.