WATCH ABOVE: Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced Thursday that the federal government will be setting a target for temporary residents for the first time.
Canada is setting targets for temporary residents for the first time, according to Immigration Minister Marc Miller. Miller stated that this is being done to ensure “sustainable” growth in the number of temporary residents entering Canada.
“Beginning this autumn, we will, for the first time, expand the immigration levels plan to encompass both temporary resident arrivals and permanent resident arrivals,” Miller informed reporters in Ottawa on Thursday.
Miller stated that as of 2023, “Canada was home to 2.5 million temporary residents, comprising 6.2 percent of the entire population. The government aims to reduce this percentage to five percent over the next three years.”
“To establish these targets, I will be arranging a meeting with my provincial and territorial counterparts, along with other relevant ministers, in early May. Provinces and territories are aware of their distinct labor needs and capabilities, and they must take responsibility for the individuals they bring in,” he stated.
“Miller also mentioned that they will make sure there are strong pathways to permanent residency for those who want to settle in Canada for the long term, rather than relying solely on temporary workers to support the economy.”
Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault stated that the government was also altering the way Canadian businesses were hiring foreign workers.
“On May 1, we will start by reducing the number of temporary foreign workers entering Canada in specific sectors,” he explained. “Employers listed in the 2022 Workforce Solution Roadmap will see a decrease from 30% to 20% of their workforce utilizing the temporary foreign worker program under the low wage stream.”
The reduction in the number of temporary foreign workers will not be applied to the construction and healthcare sectors. Employers in these sectors will continue to be allowed to hire up to 30 per cent of the workforce through the low-wage stream of the temporary foreign worker program until at least August 31 of this year.
Boissonnault also mentioned that a Labour Market Impact Assessment, which allows a business to hire foreign workers if Canadian workers are unavailable, will now only be valid for six months instead of 12.
“The LMIA is meant for the employer to demonstrate the need for a foreign worker and to confirm that no Canadian worker, permanent resident, refugee, or asylum seeker is available for that job. By reducing the validity period, we aim to ensure that the temporary foreign worker program is used with the most current and accurate labour market information,” he explained.
HOW IS IT BEING RECEIVED?
One migrant rights group stated that Ottawa’s new measures will do little to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers. Syed Hussan, the executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC), emphasized that the issue is not the number of migrants, but rather the widespread exploitation, mistreatment by landlords, and exclusion from essential services like healthcare and education due to their denied permanent resident status.
He said, “Migrants have been blamed for the affordability and housing crisis to divert attention from the failure of corporations and governments to ensure a decent quality of life for all of us. Migrants are not responsible for low wages or high prices; they are some of the worst affected.”
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce stated that the action will further exacerbate Canada’s existing labour shortage problems in certain sectors.
“Ottawa should be careful about imposing arbitrary immigration caps. Temporary residents, including temporary foreign workers, play a vital role in certain sectors of our economy. The truth is that we currently have over 600,000 unfilled job vacancies nationwide, which is having a negative impact on our ability to grow the economy,” said Diana Palmerin-Velasco, senior director at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, in an interview with Global News.
