TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER PROGRAM (TFWP) AND INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY PROGRAM (IMP) AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN BC
BC Migrant Construction Workers – Press Release
A message from Manuel Alvernaz Local 1611 Business Manager and Mark Olsen LiUNA Western Canada Manager
We fully support and endorse LiUNA’s latest LiUNA BC Impact Study Policy Brief, regarding the construction industry in BC. There is a history of abuse, exploitation, unfairness and discrimination of foreign construction workers as well as a suppression of the Canadian Labour Market and loss of Canadian jobs.
There is a simple three part solution to this significant problem
- The Federal Government needs to do a Canada-wide study of the construction industry and the effects of the TFWP and IMP, as they promised but never delivered on, in 2016.
- Make changes to the TFWP, including consultation with Unions regarding available qualified workers; pay TFW’s a full Canadian wage and benefit standard; better government up front due diligence and backend enforcement; and finally, provide a pathway to Canadian citizenship for the foreign workers.
- Ensure that the IMP and International Trade Agreements cannot be used by employers seeking foreign construction workers.
The Government has said that the IMP is not designed for construction workers, so ensure it is not used in this way. Left unchanged, we are concerned that the use of the TFWP and IMP is becoming a form of human trafficking, meaning the trade in poorly paid and exploited foreign construction workers across Canada.
PUBLICATIONS
LiUNA has produced three research papers on the topic. CLICK HERE to email our LiUNA Western Canada office.
To obtain a copy of the LiUNA B.C. Impact Study Policy Brief CLICK HERE.
