NDP statement on Temporary Foreign Worker Program cuts

NDP Immigration critic Jenny Kwan made the following statement:

“The NDP is calling for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) to be completely reformed, including ending the easy access to ‘low-wage’ temporary foreign workers that Liberals and Conservatives have allowed big corporations to exploit.

Through the TFWP, Justin Trudeau is letting wealthy CEOs cut costs by exploiting workers with precarious immigration status. These workers have fewer rights and protections than their counterparts with permanent status. Instead of a last resort, Liberals and Conservatives have turned the TFWP into an ongoing business model that tramples on worker’s rights while suppressing wages in Canada. The program needs a complete overhaul that ensures Canadian workers and human rights come first.

And the last time Pierre Poilievre was in government, Conservatives doubled the TFW program —dramatically helping big corporations treat migrant workers as cheap and disposable.

Multi-billion dollar corporations could be training workers in Canada and offering jobs with competitive wages and working conditions. But, thanks to Justin Trudeau and Conservatives like Pierre Poilievre, they don’t need to. By tipping the scales so far in favour of corporate CEOs, they’ve created a cycle of exploitation that puts migrant workers in harm’s way while unemployment in Canada is on the rise. It’s time to invest in domestic labour and undo the injustices of years of Liberals and Conservatives writing the rules to benefit big business.

The NDP supports ending Canada’s reliance on temporary foreign workers and returning to a standard of landed status for the full spectrum of workers.”