Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFW)
International Mobility Program (IMP)
"Union leader Mark Olsen is frustrated Canadians know almost nothing about the International Mobility Program. And he’s afraid company bosses want it that way.
The program is the vast federal guest worker program that now brings by far the most newcomers into Canada — with more than one million in the country now.It’s also the program that Olsen believes makes it most easy for employers to exploit guest workers, which in turn harms Canadian workers."
Read the recent feature in the Vancouver Sun as Mark explains the issues with the IMP and the major deficits of the program.
For the full story CLICK HERE
Labour Market Skewed
LiUNA has published five (5) research papers on the history, reform and continued issues plaguing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. We are now focusing on recommendations to correct the issues.
The Impact of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program on the Construction Labour Force in Western Canada
(2003-2015)
British Columbia - Policy Brief
The Impact of Canada’s Migrant Worker Programs on the Construction Labour Force in British Columbia (2015 - 2016)
Policy Brief
International Mobility Program
Recommendations for Change 2017
Alberta - Economic Study
Potential Impact of the Employer Liaison Service and Canada-China Free Trade on the Construction Labour Force 2017
As well, LiUNA Western Canada was featured in Business in Focus Magazine to highlight the TFP and the impact it is having on the construction sector.
The Impact on The Industry
This issue is a real concern for ALL workers across Canada.
"The major defect in the International Mobility Program, Olsen said, is that, unlike the TFWP, it doesn’t require Canadian employers to provide evidence to the government that they’re unable to find a Canadian to do the job.The major defect in the International Mobility Program, Olsen said, is that, unlike the TFWP, it doesn’t require Canadian employers to provide evidence to the government that they’re unable to find a Canadian to do the job.
The major defect in the International Mobility Program, Olsen said, is that, unlike the TFWP, it doesn’t require Canadian employers to provide evidence to the government that they’re unable to find a Canadian to do the job.The major defect in the International Mobility Program, Olsen said, is that, unlike the TFWP, it doesn’t require Canadian employers to provide evidence to the government that they’re unable to find a Canadian to do the job."
Mark Olsen, LiUNA Western Canada Sub-Regional Manager
Temporary Foreign Worker Program issue in the media;
Vancouver Sun - September 2024
Globe and Mail - May 2018
Globe and Mail - May 2018
Global News - January 2018
Globe and Mail - April 2017
History Made
In 2008, the BC Human Rights Tribunal ruled that the workers were brought in on temporary visas and were employed with others in boring a tunnel that forms a major part of the transit line linking Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., and Vancouver were discriminated against in wages, accommodation, meals and expenses when compared to their European colleagues.
LiUNA Local 1611, (also known as the Construction and Specialized Workers' Union), launched a complaint with the tribunal and named the Canada Line builders, SELI Canada, SNCP-SELI Joint Venture and SNC Lavalin, as respondents. A subsequent Employment Standards Branch investigation examined the Joint Venture’s payroll and found that the TFWs’ complaint was valid. The SNCL-SELI JV was paying its TFW tunnellers as low as $3.47 per hour. Yes, $3.47 an hour!