(OTTAWA) Ottawa introduced a new three-year pilot project on Tuesday that would encourage employers to follow worker protection rules by making it easier for them to hire temporary foreign workers.
Under the Pilot Project for Recognized Employers (PPER) program, companies with a good track record would only have to prove they need temporary foreign workers every three years, instead of every 18 months.
The trust status of the employer would also be flagged to potential workers in the government job bank.
The new pilot project will focus on “protections and supports that improve working conditions for temporary foreign workers,” Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said Tuesday at a news conference in the town of Ruthven. , in southwestern Ontario.
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is designed to attract workers from abroad to fill short-term labor market gaps, in cases where no Canadian or permanent resident is available.
However, employers involved in the pilot project will have to undergo a more rigorous initial assessment, warned Minister Boissonnault.
Agricultural businesses will be able to apply to participate in the pilot project in September, and all other employers will be eligible in January.
The pilot project will simplify the hiring process by reducing the administrative burden of having to resubmit their documents every 18 months, said Jennifer Wright, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council.
“The Government of Canada is addressing a significant hurdle in addressing the labor shortages that have hurt the competitiveness of Canada’s agricultural sector,” she said in a statement Tuesday.
The government earmarked $29.3 million over three years for this program in its 2022 federal budget, calling it a “trusted employer model” at the time.
Allegations of abuse have plagued the Temporary Foreign Worker Program for years.
According to Mr. Boissonnault, language barriers, social and physical isolation and lack of awareness of their rights make all workers more vulnerable to abuse, which the government has tried to reduce with more oversight.
Between April 2022 and March 2023, more than 2100 inspections found 117 employers to be “non-compliant”. Of these, 94 employers were fined a total of $1.5 million, 23 received warnings, and six were banned from the program for five years.
“The system works and keeps workers safe,” said Minister Boissonnault.
He said his office launched a hotline for workers and advocates who witness wrongdoing, accessible in 200 languages.
