Photo credit: Radio Canada
Authorities in Canada said on Tuesday that they were considering blocking applications for low-wage Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs).
So many reactions have trailed the proposal.
The co-owner of Foster Family Farms, Mel Foster, said, “It would be a huge hit for us.”
CBC reports that the refusal would only apply to workers below the median hourly wage in each province and territory, which is $28.29 in Ontario. The country also has an agricultural TFW program.
According to Foster, Canadians don’t want to do that type of work because it’s seasonal, hard work, and low paying. As a result, his lead farmer, who is a temporary foreign worker, has been with them for sixteen years. He said several others return every season.
Mike Marson, owner of Mike’s Garden Harvest in Gloucester, said something similar.
Jonathan Bruderlein, president of Ottawa Farm Fresh, said the program allows trained and qualified employees to return each season.
If the program changes restrictions, Ottawa’s caregiving sector will also suffer a setback.
For the past five years, the government has offered a caregiving stream under the TFW program, which has attracted many Filipino women to work in Canada.
The program ended in June. However, the feds announced a new pilot project, which could launch as soon as this fall.
The chairperson of Migrants Ottawa, Aimee Beboso, said Canada is a promising country for migrants because the stream offers them the opportunity to apply for permanent residency, which leads to citizenship.
However, in a statement, Employment and Workforce Development Minister Randy Boissonnault said bad actors have been abusing and misusing the TFW program, which has led to consideration of further restrictions.
