The federal government is opening immigration for 2,750 people to work in the meat industry.
It’s a pilot project under the Temporary Foreign Workers program.
Chris White, president of the Canadian Meat Council, said a year ago at a meeting with three federal cabinet ministers and the Canadian Union of Food and Commercial Workers to discuss “our labour shortage and message to help Canada’s food supply . . .
“With more than 1,700 empty butcher workstations across the country among our members, this pilot will allow our members to gain access to temporary foreign workers who are desperately needed to fill the labour gap and more importantly, allow them to transition to permanent resident status,” he said.
“It’s important to remember that our members always hire Canadians first.
“Allowing entry-level butchers means creating more middle-class jobs – which is what this government is all about” added White.
“For every one temporary foreign worker, we also create four jobs for Canadians,” he said.
