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Tag Archives temporary foreign workers — page 2

Improvements to temporary foreign worker program recommended: CFIB
Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) may help alleviate persistent labour shortages in Canada’s agricultural sector, but adjustments to the system would increase efficiencies and create better alignment with the practical needs of agri-businesses, according to new research from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) that includes several recommendations for policy makers. “While government is reviewing […] Read more

Meat industry calls on federal gov to ease foreign worker limits
Meat industry groups are asking the federal government to reinstate a program that expanded industry hiring limits for temporary foreign workers (TFWs) and lengthened the validity of paperwork needed for hiring, citing work shortages and impact on food prices.

Senate proposes third-party Commission to address systemic TFW issues
An independent agency is needed to coordinate temporary and migrant labour policy, says a Senate committee report released yesterday.

Senate proposes third-party Commission to address systemic TFW issues
An independent agency is needed to coordinate temporary and migrant labour policy, says a Senate committee report released today. The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology offers six recommendations to the federal government in its Act Now: Solutions for Temporary and Migrant Labour in Canada report. The committee set out to study […] Read more

Agriculture industry wary of federal immigration plan
Feds vow to reduce ‘temporary immigration,’ but group says temporary workers not the same as international students
The 2024 federal budget’s promise to reduce “temporary immigration” could reduce the number of temporary foreign workers available to Canadian agriculture and agricultural businesses. The document states the government “will reduce the share of temporary residents in Canada to five per cent of the total population over the next three years,” which it estimates will […] Read more

Canadian Meat Council decries TFW changes
Industry group says ending special measures for sector is 'premature'
Incoming changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program will add to the sector's already significant labour challenges, the Canadian Meat Council says.

Agriculture workers not mentioned in TFW rule changes
Food processing sees foreign worker limit reduced by ten per cent; construction, healthcare exempted
The federal government announced Thursday that, effective May 1, some sectors would be allowed no more than 20 per cent of their workforces to be made up of temporary foreign workers (TWFs) brought in via the low wage stream—down from 30 per cent since 2022.

UN rapporteur calls Canada’s TFW system ‘breeding ground for modern slavery’
Tomoya Obokata says government needs to better protect worker rights and provide better residency path
A United Nations special rapporteur on modern slavery has called out Canada’s temporary foreign worker (TFW) programs, including those in the agriculture sector. Tomoya Obokata, who was appointed by the UN’s Human Rights Council, spoke in Ottawa Sept. 6 following a 14-day visit to Canada. He called the programs “a breeding ground for contemporary forms […] Read more

Pilot plan to cut red tape for reliable TFW employers
Farm employers can apply starting next month
Canada’s temporary foreign worker (TFW) program is set to give farms a head start in an express lane expected to cut the annual paperwork for that program’s most “trusted employers.” Federal Employment and Workforce Development Minister Randy Boissonault last week launched a three-year pilot meant to “help to address labour shortages and reduce the administrative […] Read more

Federal government extends Agri-Food Immigration Pilot program
Pathway to permanent residency program for TFWs given two more years
Temporary foreign workers and their families can apply to the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot until May 2025 to get permanent Canadian residency. Sean Fraser, federal minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, recently announced a two-year extension to the program. “Our farmers and food processors depend on the steady arrival of foreign workers so that planting, harvesting […] Read more