CFIB releases report challenging myths around Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program

TORONTO, ONT. –  A new research snapshot from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) tackles five of the most persistent myths about Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), separating evidence and program rules from perception and political rhetoric.

CFIB’s snapshot, Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada: Myths vs Realities, challenges five common misconceptions, including: Employers are addicted to TFWs; TFWs take jobs from Canadians and especially young Canadians; TFWs suppress Canadian wages; TFWs strain local housing; and abuse is widespread and goes unchecked.

“The narrative around the temporary foreign worker program has totally lost the plot over the past few months,” said Dan Kelly, CFIB president. “There are dozens of legitimate reasons why small businesses use the TFW program to fill persistent labour market gaps, often to the benefit of Canadian workers in the business. Temporary workers are always more costly than hiring locally available workers. Vilifying the businesses that need TFWs to fill the positions that Canadians don’t want does nothing to address program gaps, nor tackle the real issues weighing down our economy.”

According to CFIB, over half (52 per cent) of small business owners using the temporary foreign worker program said that TFWs enabled them to continue employing Canadians and providing Canada with essential goods and services. One in five respondents in Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)’s employer survey also found that hiring TFWs improved their ability to hire more Canadians.

To keep supply chains moving and to help small businesses fill critical labour gaps, CFIB recommends policymakers:

• Retain a focused TFWP and reject the misinformation.
• Facilitate the retention of TFWs already in Canada through a grandfathering clause.
• Provide a pathway to permanent residency for lower-skilled TFWs who have maintained their legal status, acquired work experience in Canada, and paid taxes.
• Let employers make their case as to why they are unable to hire a Canadian for their position, instead of issuing a blanket refusal to process policy.
• Reduce the program’s administrative burden.
• Consult employers and the business community in advance of future reforms.