"{>_<} Раиса" <"{>_
2014-05-20 02:29:08 UTC
Every day brings one or two more stories about the abuses caused by the
foreign workers program under the Harper Cons. And until a few
Canadians made an issue of it, the scope of the problem wasn't known.
It's becoming pretty clear pretty quickly just why so many Canadians are
jobless - not just the younger generation.
I watch with amazement the 'advice' by the companies importing these
people to the federal government: "Make them permanent citizens and
then they will no longer be foreign workers". Ahhhh . . . . another
method to increase immigration into Canada and make it more profitable
for businesses. No concern at all for the Canadians already here,
unemployed or underemployed.
Let these corporations and private companies squeal and whine and 'buck'
. . . . If Kenney isn't able or willing to stop the flood of foreign
workers into Canada, they can kiss the next election goodbye.
________________________________________________________________________
Fri May 16, 2014 - ca.reuters.com
Canada restaurants buck foreign worker program changes
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Possible changes to make it harder to bring temporary
foreign workers into Canada may force some restaurants to curb their
hours or even shut down, and could hamper important exports if not
properly structured, employers groups warned on Friday.
Employment Minister Jason Kenney and Immigration Minister Chris
Alexander on Thursday bandied about with employers and unions several
ideas for reforming the temporary foreign worker program, which has
recently come under enormous criticism.
Participants said options discussed in the meeting included increased
government fees for guest workers and requiring employers to pay them
more. Others included numerical caps on permits, limiting access in
areas of high unemployment and differentiating more between business
sectors.
The situation has exploded into one of the top issues facing the
government because of stories of foreign workers displacing Canadians at
some McDonald's Corp restaurants, complaints from Canadians unable to
find jobs, and word of some guest workers being mistreated by their bosses.
The trade group Restaurants Canada was alarmed by the idea of a wage
floor for temporary foreign workers, possibly higher than the prevailing
wage, and sharply higher government fees.
"To price these temporary foreign worker jobs so high that there's no
way that our restaurants will have access to them is going to be really
problematic," said Joyce Reynolds, who attended the meeting.
She said a temporary moratorium that Kenney slapped on the restaurant
sector last month was already causing "a real feeling of desperation"
among restaurant owners in places like Edmonton, capital of the oil
province of Alberta.
Kenney did not say what the government should charge for temporary
foreign workers but mentioned the possibility of "a dissuasive fee like
in the U.S," one participant said. The United States can charge $2,325
or more in combined fees compared with the C$275 ($252) currently
charged in Canada, plus a visa fee often of C$150.
Jayson Myers, president of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, distanced
himself from the restaurants, saying no company should build its
business model around the temporary foreign worker program.
But Myers opposed punitive government fees, and said crucial exporters
like car manufacturers could be adversely affected by proposed changes.
Windsor, Ontario - Canada's car capital - has high unemployment but
Myers said automakers needed to be able to bring in foreign technicians
sometimes for as short as a week to retool a plant or to train.
Canada's largest private-sector union, Unifor, said reforms to refocus
the program onto skilled labor would restore credibility. "This will
stop the back-alley shop from bringing in somebody to flip burgers ...
they're not going to pay thousands of dollars to bring them over and
then pay above the going wage," Unifor President Jerry Dias said.
Chris Roberts of the Canadian Labor Congress, however, said no amount of
tinkering with fees would address the "built-in exploitation and abuse"
foreign workers face since they are tied to one employer and therefore
unable to switch companies.
foreign workers program under the Harper Cons. And until a few
Canadians made an issue of it, the scope of the problem wasn't known.
It's becoming pretty clear pretty quickly just why so many Canadians are
jobless - not just the younger generation.
I watch with amazement the 'advice' by the companies importing these
people to the federal government: "Make them permanent citizens and
then they will no longer be foreign workers". Ahhhh . . . . another
method to increase immigration into Canada and make it more profitable
for businesses. No concern at all for the Canadians already here,
unemployed or underemployed.
Let these corporations and private companies squeal and whine and 'buck'
. . . . If Kenney isn't able or willing to stop the flood of foreign
workers into Canada, they can kiss the next election goodbye.
________________________________________________________________________
Fri May 16, 2014 - ca.reuters.com
Canada restaurants buck foreign worker program changes
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Possible changes to make it harder to bring temporary
foreign workers into Canada may force some restaurants to curb their
hours or even shut down, and could hamper important exports if not
properly structured, employers groups warned on Friday.
Employment Minister Jason Kenney and Immigration Minister Chris
Alexander on Thursday bandied about with employers and unions several
ideas for reforming the temporary foreign worker program, which has
recently come under enormous criticism.
Participants said options discussed in the meeting included increased
government fees for guest workers and requiring employers to pay them
more. Others included numerical caps on permits, limiting access in
areas of high unemployment and differentiating more between business
sectors.
The situation has exploded into one of the top issues facing the
government because of stories of foreign workers displacing Canadians at
some McDonald's Corp restaurants, complaints from Canadians unable to
find jobs, and word of some guest workers being mistreated by their bosses.
The trade group Restaurants Canada was alarmed by the idea of a wage
floor for temporary foreign workers, possibly higher than the prevailing
wage, and sharply higher government fees.
"To price these temporary foreign worker jobs so high that there's no
way that our restaurants will have access to them is going to be really
problematic," said Joyce Reynolds, who attended the meeting.
She said a temporary moratorium that Kenney slapped on the restaurant
sector last month was already causing "a real feeling of desperation"
among restaurant owners in places like Edmonton, capital of the oil
province of Alberta.
Kenney did not say what the government should charge for temporary
foreign workers but mentioned the possibility of "a dissuasive fee like
in the U.S," one participant said. The United States can charge $2,325
or more in combined fees compared with the C$275 ($252) currently
charged in Canada, plus a visa fee often of C$150.
Jayson Myers, president of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, distanced
himself from the restaurants, saying no company should build its
business model around the temporary foreign worker program.
But Myers opposed punitive government fees, and said crucial exporters
like car manufacturers could be adversely affected by proposed changes.
Windsor, Ontario - Canada's car capital - has high unemployment but
Myers said automakers needed to be able to bring in foreign technicians
sometimes for as short as a week to retool a plant or to train.
Canada's largest private-sector union, Unifor, said reforms to refocus
the program onto skilled labor would restore credibility. "This will
stop the back-alley shop from bringing in somebody to flip burgers ...
they're not going to pay thousands of dollars to bring them over and
then pay above the going wage," Unifor President Jerry Dias said.
Chris Roberts of the Canadian Labor Congress, however, said no amount of
tinkering with fees would address the "built-in exploitation and abuse"
foreign workers face since they are tied to one employer and therefore
unable to switch companies.