sa国际传媒鈥檚 Temporary Foreign Worker Program can be of benefit to employers, employees and the local economy, but the federal government needs to be more diligent in guarding against abuse.
The program has been in the spotlight recently with reports of alleged abuse of the TFW program by three McDonald鈥檚 restaurants in Victoria. An employee complained that foreign workers were given more shifts while Canadian workers had their hours reduced. He also said that Canadian applicants were rejected because Filipinos were being hired to fill available jobs.
After the allegations were made public, Employment Minister Jason Kenney took quick action. An investigation was ordered and the company that held the three McDonald鈥檚 franchises had its applications for foreign workers suspended, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Kenney said charges could be laid under the Immigration Act if the employer lied in the original application to bring in foreign workers.
McDonald鈥檚 sa国际传媒 said it does not tolerate abuses and launched its own investigation. It took over the operation of the three restaurants from the franchisee.
The purpose of the foreign-worker program is to help employers who can鈥檛 find qualified Canadian workers to fill jobs. Businesses applying to bring in workers are required to present proof that they searched diligently within the country before they are given permission to import workers.
The program works when it helps fill positions demanding specialized skills that are in short supply. It also helps boost the labour supply when boom times create higher-paying jobs, leaving a dearth of local people willing to take less-desirable jobs lower on the pay scale.
But Victoria is not in the middle of a boom, and the youth unemployment rate is too high. Flipping burgers does not require technical degrees and extensive experience. It鈥檚 hard to believe local people cannot be found to fill local fast-food jobs.
That is not to demean fast-food workers. In fact, it鈥檚 the type of employment that is ideal for young people to develop good work habits, reliability and interpersonal skills.
It鈥檚 where many pay their dues before moving on to better-paying jobs. A worker who garners good references while doing what some regard as menial work is likely to do well at whatever job she or he takes in the future.
But that might be an argument in favour of foreign workers in the eyes of some employers. A temporary foreign worker is basically a tenured worker, hired to work at a certain place for a certain time, unable to be lured away by a better job offer.
Foreign workers are inclined to be more loyal and less complaining. They are aware of their temporary status and know their residency in sa国际传媒 is contingent upon keeping the employment for which they were imported. This makes them beholden to the employer, which makes the TFW program vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous employers.
Sure, there鈥檚 a bit of a risk in hiring untrained young people, but it pays off. Chambers of commerce like to point out the importance of supporting local businesses, of making shopping at home the first choice. Employers, too, should look first to local labour when hiring.
The rules of the TFW program allow for unannounced workplace inspections and access to employees. Ottawa should ensure the resources are in place to do that, and should not wait for whistleblowers to call attention to abuses, either of the foreign workers or of a program that is supposed to ensure Canadians have first crack at the jobs.
