Ottawa to allow rural employers to increase proportion of temporary foreign workers
Listen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Ottawa will allow rural employers to have a greater proportion of low-wage temporary foreign workers on their payroll on a time-limited basis, as part of new measures the federal government announced on Friday.The measures will allow these employers to have up to 15 per cent of their workforce in this category, in eligible rural regions. That's up from a current cap of 10 per cent, the government said in a news release.Such employers will also be able to retain any temporary foreign workers currently on staff.The government said provinces and territories will need to opt in, in order for the measures to take effect in their jurisdictions. For those that do, these changes could be "implemented within two weeks of a positive request," according to the news release. The measures will stay in effect through the end of March 2027.The government says the measures are necessary in parts of the country where businesses are struggling to find the people they need."Canadians must always be first in line for available jobs, but in some rural regions employers are facing persistent labour shortages," said Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu in a statement included in the news release outlining the measures.WATCH | Conservative leader calls for program to be scrapped:Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on the government to abolish the temporary foreign worker program at a news conference on Wednesday. Poilievre says the program has oversaturated the market with cheap labour, making it challenging for young Canadians to secure employment.Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been critical of the temporary foreign worker program and has called for it to be scrapped, arguing it has made it harder for younger Canadians to find work. His office did not immediately return an emailed request for comment on Friday's announcement.The government said that pre-existing sector-specific exemptions to the number of allowable low-wage temporary foreign workers — including in health care, as well as in the construction and food processing sectors — will not change.Several business advocacy groups said they welcomed the forthcoming measures.In a published statement, Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, called on "all provinces to request these new flexibilities for employers in their jurisdictions."Kelly Higginson, the president and CEO of Restaurants Canada, said in a statement that the measures are "a step in the right direction to help some restaurants address labour shortages in the near term."Higginson called for the provinces and territories "to include the foodservice industry in their priority sectors for affected regions."
