Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker program was designed to support an acute shortage of Canadian labour, not to reduce labour costs and keep tens of thousands of construction workers unemployed.

Companies seeking to reduce labour costs “game the system” by offering artificially lower wages in their job postings, stopping Canadians from applying. When no Canadians apply, the federal government lets them hire temporary foreign workers.

A temporary foreign worker is defined as “a foreign national engaged in work activity who is authorized, with the appropriate documentation, to enter and to remain in Canada for a limited period. A Federal Skilled Trades Program worker is designed to support immigrants who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade. These trades include but are not limited to: industrial, electrical and construction trades.