Employment Minister Jason Kenney says there’s been a significant decrease in applications for temporary foreign workers since the government announced an overhaul of the troubled program earlier this year.
His department says that the number of applications received in July and August was 74% lower than during the same time period in 2012, before the crackdown.
New rules introduced in June aim to make it more difficult for employers to hire temporary foreign workers, requiring them to meet strict criteria to ensure Canadians are first in line for jobs.
Some employers say the new rules are too onerous and produce problems in areas of the country with low unemployment.
Source: National Post
Attorney Colin Singer Commentary:
The new changes announced by Minister Kenney, the former immigration minister, are being implemented to function as an industrial lockout of foreign workers in many industries across Canada.