Foreign-worker program abused: poll
Survey shows most Canadians back policy reform, not abolition
Nearly seven in 10 Canadians think employers regularly abuse the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, a government-sponsored survey shows.
Despite that, more than half support the controversial program, according to the Harris/Decima survey of 1,984 Canadians, commissioned by Employment and Social Development Canada.
The $95,000 survey, conducted last May, found that 57 per cent of Canadians strongly or somewhat support the temporary foreign workers program. Just 32 per cent say they are opposed.
Asked if some employers abuse the program by not doing enough to recruit Canadians, 68 per cent said yes and just 19 per cent said no.
Moreover, 54 per cent of those who said yes believe employers abuse the program all the time or frequently. Just six per cent think it rarely occurs.
Despite the program’s high profile in the past couple of years, only four in 10 Canadians said they were somewhat or very familiar with it. One-third weren’t at all familiar.
Those who support the program said it filled jobs Canadians don’t want or helped deal with shortages of skilled labour. Those who oppose it said it takes jobs away from Canadians at a time of high unemployment and allows companies to pay lower wages.
Asked if the program should be reformed or abolished, 58 per cent said it should be reformed while about one in three favoured abolition.
The survey is considered accurate to within 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Last June, after media reports about abuses of the program, Employment Minister Jason Kenney announced sweeping reforms, limiting temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions and banning them in some jobs in areas where the unemployment rate is above six per cent.
The changes sparked an outcry from businesses, particularly in the hospitality industry, who complained they were unable to fill needed jobs without the program.
In September, Kenney said applications for temporary foreign workers have fallen by three-quarters following the introduction of the new rules.
The number of temporary foreign workers in Canada had been exploding in recent years, reaching 338,000 as of Dec. 1, 2012.
Meanwhile, a notice quietly posted on Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s website says Microsoft Canada has been granted an exemption that will allow the company to bring an unknown number of temporary foreign workers to a new training and development centre in Vancouver.
According to the notice, Microsoft is doubling its current workforce at the centre by adding about 400 jobs, including paid internships for Canadian students and long-term employees.