Local Business Owners Speak on Foreign Worker Program

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre wants to eliminate the temporary foreign worker program, but some business owners in the London area believe that ending it completely isn’t the right solution. 

Canadian businesses in specific sectors can currently hire foreign workers if they prove that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available for the job.

The program reached its highest point last year with around 190,000 work permit holders, but since January, just over 33,000 new temporary foreign workers have arrived after the federal government imposed new restrictions on it.

This week, Poilievre urged Ottawa to abolish the program entirely, arguing that the labour market is flooded with cheap labour, making it more challenging for young Canadians to find jobs. He also suggested creating a new program specifically for agricultural businesses facing workforce shortages, even though Canada already has a separate immigration stream for farm workers.

“I agree with Mr. Poilievre. We should not be ever putting somebody into a job where a Canadian youth could be getting it,” Joe Preston, mayor of St. Thomas and former Conservative Member of Parliament, said. “But I’m not sure that we can be absolute on something like TFWs.” 

“I agree with Mr. Poilievre, we should not be ever putting somebody into a job where a Canadian youth could be getting it,” Joe Preston said. “But I’m not sure that we can be absolute on something like TFWs.” (City of St. Thomas website)

Preston owns a Wendy’s franchise and is currently working on opening two more locations. He mentioned he’s never hired anyone through this program; instead, he focuses on retaining his current staff.

“Sometimes it means offering wages that are slightly higher, offering benefits and other things to make you more of the employer of choice,” he said.

Preston acknowledges that as mayor, he’s seen how useful the temporary foreign worker program can be in certain sectors. He would still prefer companies train Canadians to fill these positions as needed.

Some Restaurants Rely Heavily on Foreign Workers

While farm and greenhouse jobs are typically filled by foreign workers in this program, fast food chains and restaurants also create significant demand.

“Right now, the restaurant industry is dominated by a lot of foreign workers,” Omar Hamam, CEO of Tahini’s based in London, explained.

Tahini’s hires foreign labor like many fast-food establishments do because Hamam believes restaurants would face difficulties without them.

Omar Hamam is the owner of Tahini’s, a London-based shawarma chain. (Kate Dubinski/CBC)

This sentiment was echoed by owners of specialized restaurants where finding domestic labor can be particularly challenging.

Sushi chefs are hard to come by in Canada according to Di Shao from Sushi Galore. While Shao often employs local staff for front-of-house roles like serving drinks or taking orders, kitchen staff who prepare sushi often come from the temporary foreign worker program.

Shao mentioned he’s trained local workers for these kitchen roles when they’ve applied but they usually leave after only a few weeks on the job.

Afternoon Drive6:53Should Canada scrap the temporary foreign workers program?
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has proposed an end to the temporary foreign workers program. St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston shares what role he thinks the program should and shouldn’t play in today’s labor market.

“They know it’s not an easy job; it’s very tiring,” he noted. “They would rather go be a server and make extra money from tips than work in the kitchen.”