In the 19th Century the word ‘coolie’ was used as a derogatory term for low wage workers — mainly Asian — to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. (And yes, it is in Oxford English Dictionary.)Fast forward 150 years and the Liberal government is announcing steps to limit the number of ‘low wage’ temporary foreign workers (TFW) allowed into certain professions.Starting Sept. 26, the government will refuse applications for TFWs in regions with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. In addition there will be a cap of 10% coming from the low-wage stream of the program and a 50% reduction in the maximum residency duration from two years to 12 months..Exceptions will be made for seasonal and non-seasonal jobs in food security sectors (primary agriculture, food processing and fish processing), as well as construction and healthcare. The government said it continues to monitor the so-called ‘high wage’ stream of the program that could result in further changes — including to existing applicants — within the next 90 days.In a news release, Employment and Social Development Canada, the TFW program was designed as an “extraordinary measure to be used only when qualified Canadians and permanent residents are not able to fill job vacancies.”“Unfortunately, the TFW program has been used to circumvent hiring talented workers in Canada,” it said..It comes six months after the government of Quebec last week announced its own limits on low wage TFWs, including a six-month freeze in Montreal, to take effect next month.Speaking at the Liberal cabinet in Halifax on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country doesn’t need so many TFWs in the aftermath of the COVID 19 pandemic.“We need Canadian businesses to invest in training and technology and not increasing their reliance on low-cost foreign labour,” he said. “It’s not fair to Canadians struggling to find a good job, and it’s not fair to those temporary foreign workers, some of whom are being mistreated and exploited.”.Earlier this month a scathing United Nations report described Canada’s temporary foreign worker program as a breeding ground for “modern slavery” and human trafficking because it creates a power imbalance between employers that prevents employees from fully exercising their rights under Canadian labour law.In addition to the TFW Labour changes, the government is planning to unveil a broader immigration plan aimed at both permanent and temporary residents.“We’re making sure that the entire package makes as much sense as possible for the needs of Canadians and for the needs of our economy,” Trudeau said.
