NDP calls for open work permits for temporary workers

Photo: Graham Hughes archives The Canadian Press Two NDP MPs want the government to give all temporary foreign workers, not just those in the TFWP, access to open work permits. This would extend to workers in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.

David Baxter – The Canadian Press in Ottawa

Published at 17:32

• Canada

The Commons Citizenship and Immigration Committee is calling on the government to change the way it manages permits for temporary workers, after a UN report concluded that the current system creates “breeding grounds for contemporary forms of slavery.”

The committee released a report Wednesday that recommends, among other things, that the federal government, “after consulting with Quebec, the other provinces and territories,” grant “sectoral and regional” work permits to workers in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

Currently, most temporary foreign workers have “closed permits,” which tie them to a single employer. The Commons committee report found that this system creates conditions that can lead to exploitation and abuse of these workers.

NDP MPs Jenny Kwan and Matthew Green say the government should go further, by allowing all temporary foreign workers, not just those in the TFWP, to access open work permits. This would extend to workers in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

“The reality is that if you’re tied to a specific employer, you’re really at their mercy to do what they demand of you,” Kwan said. “No matter what the abuse is, no matter if you’re dealing with wage theft, harassment, violence, sexual harassment for women, you just have to live with it.” »

The Vancouver MP believes that the least Ottawa can do to reduce these abuses is to end the system of “closed permits.”

Read also

• Trump’s return could cause waves of immigration at the border
• We must “stop using” closed work permits, says a committee in Ottawa
• Quebec anticipates Border 'turbulence' after Trump election

More inspections

The committee also recommended increasing the number of unannounced workplace inspections and developing a plan to provide more pathways to permanent residency for low-wage and agricultural workers.

More than half of workplace inspections are being conducted virtually, according to the Commons committee report. Those inspections found a 36 per cent increase in the number of “non-compliant employers” in the last fiscal year, resulting in more than $2 million in fines. The vast majority of employers were found to be compliant with the program’s rules.

Elizabeth Kwan, a senior researcher with the Canadian Labour Congress — and no relation to MP Kwan — testified at the committee hearings. She said Thursday that the report’s recommendations would do little to meaningfully address issues like worker abuse.

“The system does nothing to encourage employers to improve job quality, such as wages and working conditions, and to invest in technology. It allows for a continued reliance on underpaid and vulnerable workers,” she said.

The government has made changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, most recently making it harder for employers to get approval for temporary workers. So, starting Friday, Ottawa will increase the provincial and territorial salary threshold by 20% for a job to be classified as “high-wage.”

In an emailed response, Renée Proctor, press secretary to Immigration Minister Marc Miller, said the government would provide a response to the report within the mandated 120-day deadline.

“With respect to work permits for temporary foreign workers, our government is exploring new sector-specific permits to improve the system and make it work better for temporary foreign workers and employers,” she wrote.