I think people are upset because the temporary foreign worker program is often used not for specialized skilled labour (like the manufacturer is claiming) but instead for low-skill, low-wage jobs to just reduce labour costs.
I think there’s a simple way to fix the program and make it work for its original intention - set high minimum wages for temporary foreign workers (TFW) above the median Canadian income (ideally you could set this by industry and skill level, but then it’s less simple). So now your local Wendy’s isn’t choosing between hiring locally at $20/hr vs. a TFW at $15/hr, but rather hiring locally at $20/hr or a TFW at $25/hr (numbers made up). If there’s an actual shortage they’ll still have access to workers, but they’ll be incentivized to hire locally first.
This works especially well for hiring skilled and specialized workers you can’t find in Canada - like the manufacturer is claiming. Because they’re so skilled and specialized they’ll likely already be receiving a good wage, which means that the minimum wage threshold is already being met. A rule like this would essentially keep the program available for its legitimate cases while eliminating the abuses where it’s used to save a quick buck.
Commenting here to add that there’s actually two versions of the TFW program, one for high wages and one for low wages. I guess I’m arguing for eliminating the low wage stream as I take issue with the idea there’s a labour shortage - it’s more a question of what price you want to pay.
I really don’t understand how people can’t understand this, is it just people who have never worked with tech/manufacturing before?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Amid pushback over plans to use foreign workers, NextStar Energy has confirmed it wants to hire hundreds of technicians from South Korea to help set up the government-subsidized electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, Ont.
It’s the first time the company has commented on how many workers it wants in Canada to work on the project, in the wake of backlash over a social media post shared by Windsor police that suggested the city would be welcoming 1,600 people from South Korea in 2024.
The reports prompted Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to call for an inquiry into hiring at the plant because of the heavy level of government investment.
The planned facility is the result of a partnership between Stellantis and the South Korean company LG Energy Solution.
One industry analyst told CBC News this week that calls for an all-Canadian workforce on project are short-sighted and NextStar Energy’s plans are not surprising.
“I think you’ve got to bring the people that know the technology and are skilled and it’s their backgrounds, their wheelhouse that come in, set the stage, make sure everything is … running smoothly and then hand the keys off,” said Joe McCabe, president and chief executive officer of Auto Forecast Solutions.
The original article contains 385 words, the summary contains 194 words. Saved 50%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!