QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
International Students
December 7, 2023
My question is for Senator Gold.
Senator Gold, there are two linked issues affecting our service industry that should be of concern to the government due to their impacts on our economy. On January 1, the progressive government policy that enables foreign students to attend our universities and to work 40 hours per week will be reduced to 20 hours. All students face increasing costs in areas like health care, housing, child care and groceries. There are additional pressures for international students, given their higher tuition costs, and higher tuition is important to university revenue streams. The reduction of hours has an impact on their income, households and their availability in sectors such as the restaurant industry, where finding workers is problematic.
Linked to this is the automatic inflationary increase in the excise tax affecting the spirit, wine and beer industries. This excise tax is scheduled to increase to 4.7%, which will further jeopardize the business viability in the restaurant sector.
Why won’t the government consider extending the 40-hour workweek policy to support international students who contribute to our economy, including in the restaurant sector?
Thank you for your question, senator, and for underlining the importance of international students for our universities, for our communities and for our country. But also, thank you for underlining some of the challenges the federal and provincial governments and universities have in ensuring that we provide proper support for such students when they are here and that the systems under which they come here are transparent, fair and free from the regrettable fraudulent activity that has sometimes characterized those who serve as agents in the attraction of students.
The Government of Canada, through its various funding envelopes, works with the universities to provide funding for their research and other activities. The provinces and universities also work to manage support for the students. The government will continue to do its part in this regard.
