Canada has always welcomed people from many different backgrounds through immigration. Newcomers have been instrumental in shaping Canada into the country it is today. However, as the economic goals of immigration take precedence, there are concerns that certain groups, particularly refugees and temporary foreign workers, are not being welcomed. It is time for decision makers to re-evaluate our primary purposes of immigration and the impacts of imminent policy changes. Read more »
Recently, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney expressed surprise that the demand for temporary foreign workers has not gone down since the recession.
However, this steady demand for temporary foreign workers should not be surprising to Minister Kenney at all. This steady demand is, in fact, the inevitable result of the temporary foreign worker program and the current government’s approach to immigration. Read more »
In March 2008, the Metropolis research project hosted a policy-research seminar on temporary migration entitled “Should I stay or should I go?” The conference featured government officials, business professionals and professors, among others, who shared their expertise on temporary foreign workers. Everyone agreed something needs to be done within government policy to better implement the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) in the area of agricultural and low-skilled workers. CPJ intern Jennifer Heggland detailed the seminar in this article… Read more »
In November 2007, Alberta Federation of Labour reported on its first six months of assisting temporary foreign workers during their time in Canada. The report, entitled Alberta’s Disposable Workforce, detailed the less than humane conditions of foreign workers who are, in fact, meant to have the same work-related rights as their Canadian counterparts. Read more »
Miguel is woken up at 4 a.m. at his shared trailer home and driven 10 kilometres away to his workplace. The day’s target? To fill ten cans of worms for his employer at minimum wage. Equipped with a head-light, battery pack and cans tied to his ankles, Miguel is on his way. We’re not talking about Latin America or Africa. It’s another regular workday in Canada for more than 120,000 foreign temporary workers who arrive annually, hoping to earn a living to support their families left behind in their impoverished countries. Read more »
Canada has always welcomed people from many different backgrounds through immigration. Newcomers have been instrumental in shaping Canada into the country it is today. However, as the economic goals of immigration take precedence, there are concerns that certain groups, particularly refugees and temporary foreign workers, are not being welcomed. It is time for decision makers to re-evaluate our primary purposes of immigration and the impacts of imminent policy changes. 
In November 2007, Alberta Federation of Labour reported on its first six months of assisting temporary foreign workers during their time in Canada. The report, entitled Alberta’s Disposable Workforce, detailed the less than humane conditions of foreign workers who are, in fact, meant to have the same work-related rights as their Canadian counterparts. 
