Press release
Ottawa announcement for temporary foreign workers

QFL calls for in-depth program review

Montréal, September 18, 2024. – The Quebec Federation of Labour (QFL) welcomes the federal government’s decision to set a 10% limit the proportion of foreign workers a Quebec employer can hire in a workplace.

“Temporary immigration should not be used to fill permanent labour needs. The federal government’s decision to end the current exception for a facilitated process shows a desire to return to the basic principle of the program,” observes QFL General Secretary Denis Bolduc.

The QFL is also asking that the facilitated process no longer allows evading from local recruitment requirements, to ensure that workers recruited abroad are recruited in response to a real need. According to a recent poll (Angus Reid, September 2024), most Quebecers believe that a company should not be in business if it cannot pay a wage that local workers are willing to accept.

The QFL is also calling for an in-depth review of temporary immigration programs to end inequities and provide real access to permanent immigration. First and foremost, the QFL is calling for an end to closed permits, which prevent temporary foreign workers from moving from one company to another. The Canadian government remains silent on this major issue, despite the growing number of alarming signs.

“Closed work permits have now been denounced by the UN Special Rapporteur, who describes them as a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery, by a Canadian Senate committee, which recommends that we stop issuing this type of permit, and by the Quebec Superior Court, which has ruled that closed work permits present an appearance of unconstitutionality. How can governments still justify their silence on this fundamental issue?” argues the QFL General Secretary.

Finally, the QFL strongly condemns the disregard in the government’s announcements for migrant workers already on the territory, who seem to receive no consideration whatsoever. The government must urgently take steps to give these workers status and an open work permit.

“Migrant workers already on the territory must not be made to pay for employers’ greed. Today’s announcements will considerably increase the number of non-status workers. This is totally unacceptable,” adds Denis Bolduc.

The QFL, Quebec’s largest central labour body, represents over 600,000 workers.

Source: QFL

For more information :

Jean Laverdière

Phone : 514 893-7809

E-mail: jlaverdiere@ftq.qc.ca