Age of relying on ‘cheap foreign labour is over,’ immigration minister says

Canada’s immigration minister says employers can’t rely on an “unlimited supply of cheap foreign labour” anymore, as the Trudeau government moves to limit the number of temporary foreign workers in the country.

Minister Marc Miller sat down with business leaders and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade to have a conversation about how recent changes to Canada’s immigration policies impact our local economy.

Canada welcomed a record number of newcomers last year, to give the economy a much-needed boost after the pandemic and help businesses with their labour shortage. But the federal government says the growing immigration numbers have also put a strain on Canada’s housing, infrastructure and affordability.

It has since taken significant steps to bring immigration numbers down.

Miller says instead of foreign labour, employers may need to look at offering higher wages to attract Canadian workers.

Speaking to media in Vancouver on Wednesday, he says screenings done by the federal government show that for the most part, employers in Canada are responsible, but there are exceptions.

“There are challenges in the system. There are exploitative relationships that exist, and we need to crack down on them,” said Miller. “That includes a proper wage.”

He says there are particular challenges in areas like farms and food processing, but Ottawa needs to be careful in ensuring it doesn’t accidentally cut off a stream of employment in those fields in a time of food insecurity.

He says the age of unlimited supply of cheap foreign labour is over, and he’s glad to see it go.

“I think that is a good thing. But these are not binary discussions.”

Meanwhile, he says Canada’s prepared to increase enforcement at the borders over concerns that the country will see an influx of asylum seekers if now president-elect’s Donald Trump mass deportation plan goes ahead.

“We have had equal challenges with respect to the flow coming from the U.S. into Canada, and have taken measures to secure it and close some of the ways people get in here in an irregular fashion,” said Miller.

Earlier this year Miller announced his plans to cut the number of temporary residents by putting a cap on international students and temporary foreign workers over the next two years. Many post-secondary institutions have expressed concerns that cutting back on international students, which contributes to a $30 billion industry, will mean cutbacks to programs and staff.

“A lot of them are not legitimate and needed to be shut down. I acknowledge a number of these measures were rough in nature but had to be done. There are excellent students graduating who will be great permanent residents, (and) contribute to the economy, we’d be fools not to welcome them as Canadians,” Miller said.

Local business leaders who have relied on temporary foreign workers also voiced their concerns about what the cuts mean for the economy.

“All of these businesses rely on temporary foreign workers to fill their staff,” said Jasroop Gosal, Spokesperson for the Surrey Board of Trade. “Businesses use these announcements to plan their 5, 10 years, really impacting their ability to plan, they’ve already made significant investments, so they now have to go back to the drawing board.”

Miller said the Federal government is willing to work with B.C. to tailor specific policies in line with the province.