GATINEAU: Budget 2017 is the next step in the Government of Canada’s long-term plan to create jobs and strengthen the middle class. As part of its plan to grow the Canadian economy, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, and the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced that the Government will improve the Temporary Foreign Worker program by bringing in new requirements for employers seeking to hire foreign workers. To ensure that Canadians always have the first opportunity at available jobs, the Government will take two new, key steps. Employers will be required to do more to recruit Canadians, particularly those who are typically under-represented in our workforce, like youth, newcomers, women, Indigenous people, and people with disabilities. And, the Government will work with industry sectors that are heavy users of the Program, to create Canadian workforce development strategies in partnership with employers, organized labour, and other stakeholders.
To fulfill its commitment to better protect vulnerable foreign workers, the Government will increase onsite inspections of workplaces that employ foreign workers. It will also work with community organizations devoted to the protecting vulnerable foreign workers to ensure workers are informed of their rights and protections when they arrive in Canada. Because collaboration will help enhance worker protections and employer compliance, the Government of Canada will also continue to pursue information-sharing agreements with the provinces and territories. Budget 2017 provides an investment of $279.8 million over five years, starting in 2017–18, and $49.8 million per year thereafter, to support the continued delivery and improvement of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Mobility Program.
