QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Temporary Foreign Workers
November 21, 2024
Senator Gold, because of the distinct vulnerability of temporary foreign workers, the government launched a program in 2019 to give exploited and abused migrants an open work permit that would allow them to get away from their employer.
However, a new Université Laval study found that, even in cases involving serious allegations, this escape route is very, very difficult to take, because preparing the application takes 20 to 30 hours and often requires legal assistance, and processing times just keep getting longer, sometimes as long as five months.
Couldn’t we do better?
Thank you for the question. I’d like to point out that any harassment, abuse or exploitation of temporary foreign workers is unacceptable. By introducing the open work permit for vulnerable workers, the government has made it easier to get out of abusive situations.
That said, to answer your question, honourable colleague, the government is monitoring and improving its policies and programs to make sure that they serve the best interests of temporary foreign workers and that temporary foreign workers receive fair wages and the same rights and protections. I’ll bring the concerns raised by this study to the department’s attention.
It is important to know that half of the farm workers who apply for an open permit are turned down, and yet they report threats of deportation and lower-than-agreed wages. Unfortunately, that mirrors the findings of the UN Special Rapporteur, who described Canada as “a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.”
Why not make the process faster and more humane as quickly as possible?
As I said, the government is always willing to improve problems that are identified. I will bring this situation to the minister’s attention.
