The Economist on Temporary Foreign Workers
Today’s edition of The Economist magazine includes a good article on temporary foreign workers in Canada. It extensively quotes Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.
The present regime allows employers to import workers from abroad without seriously demonstrating the unavailability of Canadian workers for the job. Once the foreign workers are in Canada, it is easy for employers to pay them less and treat them worse than citizens or landed immigrants. This system exploits migrants and undermines conditions for Canadian workers.
Until nursing, carpentry, day care and construction community college courses appear on every Native reserve, this is the best possible state of affairs. Just for the hell of it, don’t tell the foreign workers about winter.
Foreign workers are deflationary to productivity gains, something Canada will need when Uncle Sam goes AWOL.