A long-awaited report on ways the federal government can improve the lives of temporary foreign workers in Canada includes suggests on how to overhaul the system.
The Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology released a 152-page report outlining the conditions under which abuse of temporary foreign workers occurs and what Ottawa can do to prevent it. It makes six recommendations. They include making unannounced workplace inspections the standard, being more transparent about the path to permanent residency in Canada in the workers' home country, and boosting funding to advocacy groups.
The report calls for an independent and arms-length agency of the Government of Canada to coordinate policy and respond to employers and migrant workers.
A Commissioner for Migrant Workers and a Commissioner for Employers would conduct annual consultations with provincial, territorial, and municipal officials, report to Parliamentarians yearly, and create a research agenda to gather data and disseminate their findings.
Another recommendation calls on the federal government to phase out employer-specific work permits and investigate replacing those with sector or region-specific permits.
The committee started its work 18 months ago and finalized its report last month.
It acknowledged the federal government is already working to overhaul the temporary foreign worker program and will likely introduce reforms later this year or early in 2025.
Numerous studies have documented abuses suffered by migrant workers, and the senate committee attempted to avoid duplication by focusing on changing the conditions that allow mistreatment.
It concluded the current program is not working for migrant workers and could function better for employers. It suggested labour policy was reactive rather than strategic, confuses workers and employers alike, and imposes barriers for employees to access rights and protections.
In 2022, 135,818 temporary foreign workers from around the globe sought employment in Canada. The top five countries they came from were Mexico, India, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Jamaica.
