NDP demand independent review of Canada’s broken Temporary Foreign Worker Program

While the NDP welcomes a moratorium on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in the food service industry as a positive step, it will mean nothing without a full, independent and transparent review of this defective program.

“The Minister has now acknowledged the problem but – as usual – only took action after the issue made headlines,” said NDP Employment and Social Development critic, Jinny Sims (Newton—Delta Nord). “Now that Jason Kenney has finally taken some action, after months of refusing to do anything, he must follow it up with a commitment to launch an independent review of the unending problems with this program.”

For its Opposition Day on Tuesday, the NDP will move a motion that would address the serious problems plaguing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, including inviting the Auditor General to lead an independent review and instituting a moratorium on the Lower-skilled Occupations Stream, which includes service work in addition to restaurant and fast-food jobs.

“More and more companies – not only fast food chains – have been taking advantage of loopholes in this program to reduce workers’ hours, wages and even to fire Canadian employees. The government needs to act urgently to finally clean up the mess they created,” added Sims.

The NDP motion:

That, in the opinion of the House, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program has been open to abuse resulting in the firing of qualified Canadian workers, lower wages and the exploitation of temporary foreign workers and therefore the government should;
(a) impose an immediate moratorium on the Stream for Lower-skilled Occupations, which includes fast-food, service and restaurant jobs; and,
(b) request an urgent audit of the whole program by the Auditor General.