NEWS RELEASE The Commissioner for Employers August 15, 2024 Employer groups have zero tolerance for abuse and reject notion that TFW program leads to

The United Nations Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on Contemporary Forms of Slavery country report on Canada is inflammatory and fails to capture the strengthened integrity measures incorporated in the TFW program since 2022.

While in Canada, the UNSR claims he spoke to no employers, did not visit a single farm, and spoke only with 100 workers. Such a narrow scope of investigation leaves little room for a nuanced or wholistic understanding of the TFW program, the experience of workers, the importance of the program to TFWs, and the indispensable role that the TFW program plays in addressing acute, regional labour shortages.

“Integrity measures to protect workers in the temporary Foreign Worker program introduced in September 2022 are only now coming into full effect as the government of Canada ramped up enforcement,” says Nancy Healey, The Commissioner for Employers.? “This is evidenced by the increase in the number of inspections of employers.”

Ninety-four percent of employers are compliant with the new enhanced measures according to data released by the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. “The vast majority of employers are committed to providing safe, healthy and dignified working conditions for all their employees, including temporary foreign workers,” says Healey. “Mistreatment or abuse of temporary foreign workers – or any worker – is always unacceptable and intolerable.”

The TFW program represents one percent of the Canadian workforce (239,000 compared to 20 million). And forty-five percent of TFW’s in the Non-agricultural stream become permanent residents.

The TFW program is an effective program that:

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·???????? ensures Canadians do not miss out on employment opportunities.

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“In many instances, Canadian businesses would not be able to maintain production levels or standard hours of operations if it was not for the TFWs who are complementing the Canadian workforce,” says Healey, adding that “Forty-five percent of TFW’s in the Non-agricultural stream become permanent residents.”

The program includes an Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers that has a low-evidentiary threshold, allowing holders of employer-specific work permits to leave situations of abuse or situations where there is well-founded fear of abuse by securing a short-term open work permit. This authorizes them to transition to a new job and allows them to maintain their immigration status in Canada.

Service Canada also maintains a confidential tip line and online reporting tool, which permits temporary foreign workers and other parties to anonymously report situations of potential wrongdoing and program misuse. All allegations are reviewed, and appropriate action is taken.? The tipline is available 24/7, with access to live agents offering services in over 200 languages.

“Business owners highly value the temporary foreign workers that they take time and effort to bring to Canada. These workers also help keep Canadian businesses running, and their employers often cover costs that go beyond prevailing wages, like housing, transportation, and health care. Isolated bad actors exist and should not be tolerated, but they do not represent the vast majority of employers who use the TFW program,” shared Christina Santini, Director of National Affairs at the CFIB.

“Workers who come to Canada under the TFWP act as personal support and long-term care workers in addition to helping thousands of small and medium employers outside of urban centres find the workforce they need in their communities to keep agricultural products harvested, processed, prepared and transported to consumers in cities across Canada. The continued success of the TFWP is essential to the care of many elderly Canadians, the sustainability of farming operations and our food supply, and the affordability of goods for Canadian families,” says Diana Palmerin-Velasco, Senior Director, Future of Work, Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

“The Temporary Foreign Worker Program provides greater protections than those offered to other workers while meeting the essential labor needs of businesses and safeguarding the job market. Without closed work permits, we risk undermining the mechanisms that ensure these workers fill positions that the local workforce cannot, making it more challenging to integrate individuals who are unemployed and have difficulty integrating the labor market,” says Alexandre Gagnon, Vice President, Labor and Human Capital at the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec.

"The UNSR did not understand the nature of the program, whose primary objective is to fill positions on a temporary or seasonal basis. Allowing all workers to choose and change employers in any sector without restriction would destabilize the labor market and could jeopardize jobs held by Canadians. Moreover, the recommendation to allow all temporary foreign workers to have access to permanent residency from the moment of their arrival in the country is unrealistic and would needlessly burden an already overburdened permanent immigration system." Karl Blackburn, President and Chief Executive Officer at the Conseil du patronat du Québec

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Contact:

Nancy Healey

[email protected]

343 552 4721

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