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The newspaper La Jornada
Tuesday, August 27, 2024, p. 32

Ottawa, Canada will reduce the entry of temporary foreign workers under a package of stricter rules announced yesterday, part of a shift in its immigration policy.

The rules reinstate a ban on granting permits to temporary foreign workers for low-wage jobs in cities with an unemployment rate of 6 percent or higher.

Canada has recently recorded its largest population growth in more than half a century, driven by immigration.

As the country’s population has surpassed 40 million people, unemployment has been on the rise.

Immigration rules must have economic sense for Canadians, but also for the job market, which continues to contractImmigration Minister Marc Miller said at a press conference. We will not hesitate to take additional measures if necessary.he added.

Ottawa had agreed to demands from businesses to increase access to the temporary foreign worker program as companies struggled to fill vacancies when the economy took off after restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government responded by nearly doubling the number of temporary foreign workers admitted to the country and expanding its rules to allow work in sectors such as fast food. Previously, most had worked in the agricultural industry.

But Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.4 percent last year and population growth put intense pressure on housing and social services.

We want to make sure Canadians have access to those jobs. and root out abuses in the foreign worker program, said Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault.

Permits reduced to one year

Among the new rules announced Monday are that permits for low-wage jobs will be issued for only one year, instead of two, and that the agriculture, health care and construction sectors will be exempt.

The new rules will come into force on September 26.