QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Temporary Foreign Worker Program
October 20, 2022
My question is also for the Government Representative in the Senate.
Through his mandate letters, the Prime Minister tasked Minister Fraser and Minister Qualtrough with implementing a trusted employer system that will streamline the application process for Canadian companies hiring temporary foreign workers to fill labour shortages.
This is a pressing issue. The Canadian Employee Relocation Council recently conducted a survey, and the results speak for themselves: 88% of employers strongly agree that international talent is important to their organizations. And 81% of employers strongly agree that if ongoing processing, delays and backlogs at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, are not addressed, operations will be negatively impacted within the year.
Senator Gold, can you provide us with an update on this initiative? When will Canadian businesses finally be able to apply to become trusted employers? Businesses are eagerly awaiting an announcement. They need predictability.
Thank you, senator, for your question. The government values the contribution of temporary foreign workers to Canada’s economy.
As you know, colleagues, Budget 2022 invests $29.3 million that will introduce a trusted employer model in order to reduce red tape for employers who meet the highest standards for living and working conditions, as well as the protection of wages in high-demand jobs. These changes aim to help streamline application processes for Canadian companies hiring temporary foreign workers. This, in fact, builds upon the measures that were announced in the government’s Workforce Solutions Road Map, which introduces further changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in order to address the labour shortages across Canada.
I am advised that the government’s work to improve the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is ongoing. I will make inquiries with the government with regard to the trusted employer system, and I will provide details as soon as they become available.
Thank you for the answer, Senator Gold.
That is fine, but I’m told that the development of the program has, more or less, come to a halt at the bureaucratic level and that little progress has been made. Beyond helping address labour shortages in Canada, the trusted employer system could have the added benefits of reducing the overall number of applications and allowing the IRCC to redirect its resources to other streams.
Of businesses surveyed, 55% are experiencing revenue loss as a consequence of the delays at the IRCC. This is important. Canada is competing with other countries for high-skilled workers, including the U.K. and Australia.
I will pose my question: Senator Gold, as the government develops the trusted employer system, can you assure us that they are considering a dedicated stream for highly skilled foreign nationals? We need to attract the brightest minds and most skilled workers in order to remain globally competitive.
Thank you for your question. The government agrees with you that we need to attract skilled workers as quickly as possible.
I’m advised that Express Entry — the government’s gateway system — can attract top-ranked, skilled candidates to apply for permanent resident status and to get them to work in Canada in the fastest time and fastest way possible.
In addition, the government offers key economic immigration programs to attract talented people to contribute to communities across our country, such as the International Mobility Program.
I note further that the government also works with Employment and Social Development Canada, or ESDC, to improve the Foreign Credential Recognition Program and to prioritize the processing of work permit applications in that regard.
Budget 2022 proposed important funding to this end — notably, seeking to help up to 11,000 internationally trained health care professionals per year to find work in their field.
The government remains responsive and open to suggestions for improvement to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, including considerations for a skilled workforce.
