More changes to rules for foreign workers coming

OTTAWA — The next spate of changes to Canada’s controversial temporary foreign workers program will likely include a limited fast track for workers in high-demand professions in regions of the country with low unemployment, says Employment Minister Jason Kenney.

The government plans to introduce Round 2 of its changes to the program in April, Kenney said in an interview. The next round of changes appear to be aimed at addressing complaints from businesses, trade associations and even some labour unions that have bemoaned the procedural red tape and lengthy delays that quickly resulted from the earlier rule changes.

Round 2 will speed up the so-called labour market opinion process in which federal officials decide whether to approve a company’s application to hire temporary foreign workers, Kenney said.

“I have no interest in fast-tracking LMO applications for foreign workers to come into low-paying jobs in areas of high unemployment,” Kenney said. “But I do have an interest in ensuring that where there is clearly a demonstrable scarcity of skills, that we make the program available as a last resort.”

In Tuesday’s federal budget, the Conservatives committed $11 million in spending over two years, and $3.5 million a year, to continue to reform the temporary foreign workers program with the goal of ensuring that Canadians are first in line.

The tough language on temporary foreign workers in the budget, and Kenney’s stated intentions this week for Round 2, have taken some stakeholders by surprise.

“To say that companies in areas where there’s high unemployment can’t access the program — don’t you want those companies that are creating jobs in science, engineering and technology to prosper and create even more jobs?” said Stephen Cryne, head of the Canadian Employee Relocation Council.

“And what’s defined as a high unemployment area? Toronto? Toronto has an 8.2 per cent unemployment rate, so does that mean companies in Toronto in need of very highly skilled people can’t access the program?”

Toronto and Montreal, also with a joblessness rate above the national average, are “global centres of excellence for finance, aerospace, IT, health care and engineering, and they rely on access to the highly skilled workers that are in short supply in Canada,” Cryne added.

Kenney acknowledged it’s tough to please everyone on the temporary foreign workers file.

“It doesn’t matter what we do, certain groups say the rules are too tight, others say they’re too loose,” he said.