Stephen Smysnuik
Temporary foreign workers are in the crosshairs
Pierre Desrosiers / Shutterstock
The Topline
- B.C. Premier David Eby called for Ottawa to cancel, or drastically reform, the temporary foreign worker program (TFWP) on Wednesday
- One day earlier, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre also called on the Liberals to shut down the TFWP, arguing it depresses wages and displaces Canadian workers
- Ottawa promised to reduce temporary residents last year, but new TFW work permits by mid-2025 have already exceede d the government’s full-year target
Too many people, not enough jobs...or homes
Man, if the NDP and Conservatives can agree on something then it must be solid.
Granted, they don’t exactly align on the why of it all, but there is some overlap. Poilievre argues that the program k eeps workers underpaid , particularly in low-wage sectors. The TFWP suppresses Canadian wages and allows employers access to a pool of cheaper, disposable labour, rather than raising wages that will attract Canadians workers. Youth unemployment in Canada has spiked to recession-era levels , and the TFWP is a major factor contributing to that problem.
Meanwhile, in B.C., the program isn’t just a wage issue, it’s about capacity. Every new TFW adds demand on already maxed-out housing markets, transit, and health care systems. Eby argues that if Ottawa is serious about cutting temporary residents overall – and that includes workers as well as students – the TFWP needs, at the very least, substantial reform.
It’s one of the biggest inflows of new people to the province, applying pressure to the already stressed out systems. Vancouver rents are coming down , sure, but still unreasonably high ; emergency rooms are crowded; classrooms are much the same – all collateral damage of a federal labour policy, designed without provincial input, that benefits businesses rather than individual Canadians.
Both leaders, among others, suggest the program solves none of the labour shortages it’s supposed to. If companies really needed staff, they’d pay higher wages and invest in automation or training, rather than import cheap labour. The program’s supposed to be a temporary solution – it says so right in the name! – yet industries build entire business models around it.
So what?
For Poilievre and the populist conservative movement, TFWP is a symbol of Ottawa selling out Canadian workers by letting corporations suppress wages. For Eby, the program is flooding B.C. with more demand than the housing and service system that requires some serious breathing room.
The labour shortages are real
Sectors that rely heavily on temporary foreign workers, including agriculture, fisheries, food processing, and hospitality, would collapse without them.
These aren’t simply jobs Canadians refuse over low wages , either – they’re jobs Canadians consistently don’t apply for, no matter the pay scale. According to the 2023 Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council employer survey , one-third of agriculture employers reported receiving no applications from Canadians during the hiring season. An additional 28 per cent received just one or two Canadian applicants.
Cutting, or even gutting, the system would hit food security and essential services, sending economic shockwaves rippling across the country. If farmers lose seasonal crews, food processors slow down and grocery costs skyrocket. If construction loses site labour then housing shortages worsen – ironic, given Eby’s concerns about housing supply.
Wall Street Journal reported that abolishing TFWP could fuel higher inflation, lower productivity, and even regional business closures. Raising wages only goes so far when there simply aren’t enough applicants. Doubling wages doesn’t teleport workers to Prince George or Saskatoon. TFWs keep businesses in certain sectors and regions afloat when they’re facing structural worker shortages. This is due in part to just how massively spread out this country truly is.
Not to mention, killing the program ignores improvements Ottawa has already made to it. New rules are designed to prevent abuse, mandating that employers must pay above market averages, while capping how many TFWs can hire.
So what?
Without TFWs, certain businesses – farms, fisheries, construction companies – will cease to function, and consumers will pay the price. Literally no one wants at a time when costs are already increasing on nearly every front.
The Liberals, meanwhile, have stated that the system has its problems, but nuking the program is reckless. Making changes to who gets access to TFWs, and limiting their numbers into the country, is the path forward – not abolition.
