Temporary Foreign Workers Taking Jobs Where Canadians Available: HRSDC

If correct, this is not good news for the Government in its handling of the Temporary Foreign Workers program:

A cabinet minister in the Harper government was warned two years ago that jobs were going to temporary foreign workers even in areas where there were Canadians available to do them, according to internal documents.

In notes prepared for then-Human Resources Minister Diane Finley, HRSDC warned of a “disconnect between the Temporary Foreign Worker program” and Employment Insurance payouts.

“Evidence suggests that, in some instances, employers are hiring temporary foreign workers in the same occupation and location as Canadians who are collecting EI regular benefits,” the document stated.

It was evidently prepared by HRSDC ahead of a meeting between Finley and P.E.I. Innovation Minister Allan Roach in May, 2012.

Temporary Foreign Workers Taking Jobs Where Canadians Available: HRSDC.

For a further illustration, an interesting analysis in Canadian Business on southwestern Ontario unemployment rates and foreign workers, contrasting youth and general unemployment rates and Temporary Foreign Workers:

The temporary foreign workers issue is just another example of why Canada needs to keep better labour market data. There may be very good economic reasons why the number of TFWs has doubled in Southwestern Ontario in the last decade, but without proper data there is no real way of knowing.

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