Musician: Jason Kenney

Jason Kenney: More than 68,000 people have signed an online petition asking Employment, Social Development and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney to exempt musicians from a new $275 fee that came into effect on July 31, according to The Star. What has changed is that each employer, usually the venue or the promoter depending on the agreement, now must also pay an extra $275 processing fee for each musician. The fee is for a labour market opinion, which looks at whether an employer could be hiring a Canadian instead of a temporary foreign worker and Small concert promoters are slamming a new government fee for every foreign musician who wants to play in a Canadian bar, pub or restaurant, saying it could keep small American bands out of Canadian venues. Every international musician hired to play at a bar, pub or restaurant in Canada must apply for a work permit. That application costs $150 and hasnt changed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.