The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is urging the province to get on board with new federal changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

Brianna Solberg with CFIB says on March 13th, Ottawa announced that rural employers can increase the share of TFWs in their workforce from 10 to 15 per cent.

“This change is basically designed to help businesses facing persistent labour shortages, particularly in rural and remote communities.”

However, Ottawa says in order to benefit from this expansion, Provinces have to indicate interest in the program and ‘opt in’.

“The longer we wait, the more businesses are left with that uncertainty…It’s a real hot to productivity when you’re thinking about your operations and the possibility of losing some of your trained employees.”

Solberg says there are some misconceptions about the use of the TFW program, mainly regarding cost.

“The reality is, employers are required to pay temporary foreign workers the same prevailing wage as Canadians in the same role, and on top of wages, they pay Labour Market Impact Assessment fees, they have to prove that there is not a Canadian who can do this role, and they have to pay other permit fees, so it’s actually more expensive, not less.”

And with over 1 million temporary foreign worker permits ending in 2026, CFIB is concerned for the future of local small businesses.

“In 2024-25, we surveyed business owners who had turned to the TFW Program to meet their labour market needs, and 57 per cent said they’d have to scale back their growth plans if they lost these workers, and 52 per cent said they’d be unable to fill orders or render services.”

The measure is only temporary, running until March of 2027. The TFW Program expansion could take effect as soon as April first should provinces signal their interest.