Farmers who want to employ temporary foreign workers will face another step this year – proving they have checked to determine whether they could employ asylum seekers.
It will not sit well with farmers who have come to enjoy the benefits of temporary foreign workers, such as having them on site to work from sunup to sundown without having to provide transportation and knowing they can't easily quit to take another job because their choice is between working for the permit-holding farmer or being returned home.
Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault made the announcement at the same time as Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a reduction of new temporary arrivals to no more than five per cent of the Canadian population, down from the 6.2 per cent cap now in place.
New targets will be set in September following consultations with the provincial and territorial governments.
“Changes are needed to make the system more efficient and more sustainable,” Miller told a news conference.
“There should be an honest conversation about what the rise in international migration means for Canada as we plan ahead,” he added.
Miller said he’ll convene a meeting of provincial, territorial and federal ministers in May to talk about how the levels should be set.
“Provinces and territories know their unique labour needs and capacity and need to assume responsibility for the people that they bring in as well.”
