The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling for a new visa that provides entry-level foreign workers a path to permanent residency in a new report released this week.
As a permanent solution for labour shortages in small businesses, the visa would allow entry-level workers to work with an employer for two years, with the ability to switch employers but not sectors or regions.
Richard Truscott, CFIB’s Director of Provincial Affairs for Alberta, who also oversees the B.C. region, said the current Temporary Foreign Worker program is only “a BandAid solution.”
“The new two-year program will address critical shortages in the workforce,” Truscott said. “Companies have been increasing wages to attract Canadians, but thin profit margins are driving them out of business.”
Irene Lanzinger, BC Federation of Labour, thinks the low wage category for TFW should be eliminated altogether.
“This is still a limit on who the worker can work for, how long they get to stay,” said Lanzinger. “We should raise wages and use better recruitment methods when we have difficulty finding [local workers.]”
Lanzinger added that employers should turn to immigration if there are truly shortages, the method that has been traditionally used in B.C. and Canada.
“Workers should have full rights, including the right to become citizens.”
