A combination of federal and provincial policy changes has small businesses worried about skilled labour procurement.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business Prairie Director Brianna Solberg says recent federal immigration policy changes have forced the redesign of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, ultimately limiting the number of TFW’s able to work in the province.
“Both of these policy changes combined are tightening access to labour for many sectors. For Saskatchewan specifically, caps on sectors like retail, accommodation, and trucking mean employers are now competing for fewer nomination spaces, and that creates a lot of uncertainty for both businesses and workers.”
She says this year, about 1.3 million temporary foreign worker permits are set to expire, which means local small businesses will be losing a significant number of trained employees.
“If businesses lose access to foreign workers, they’re telling us that over half would scale back their growth plan. Fifty–two per cent would be unable to fulfill orders or provide the same level of service, and 2 per cent would reduce operating hours.”
She adds that she is hopeful that existing Canadian labour will be able to fill the gaps in the labour market, but CFIB has consistently identified a lack of skilled local labour, hence the heavy uptake of the TFWP.
“The Temporary Foreign Worker Program shouldn’t be seen as a shortcut. It’s really a last resort when local labour isn’t available,” she explains. “I think that there are a lot of misconceptions around how wage subsidies work for foreign workers. Many of these workers have lived and worked in Canada for year. They’re paying taxes. They’re contributing to their communities. Businesses simply want the ability to retain the workers they’ve already trained and integrated into their operation.”
CFIB is now calling on the federal government to prevent supply chain disruptions by facilitating retention of TFW’s through a grandfathering clause and providing a pathway to permanent residency for lower-skilled TFW’s.
