immigrantscanada.com

Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

Foreign Workers and Ontario

Ontario: Under changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program announced Friday, employers in those industries will no longer be allowed to apply to Ottawa to bring in low-wage, low-skilled temporary employees from abroad if the jobless rate in their region is above 6 per cent. The unemployment rate in Ontario is 7.3 per cent. , according to Hamilton Spectator. However, temporary foreign workers now in Canada on a work permit will be allowed to stay until the permit expires, the government said. Thousands of low-paid jobs for temporary foreign workers in the fast-food, retail and hotel industries in Ontario will be phased out under sweeping federal government reforms meant to pressure businesses to hire Canadians. The clampdown is only part of the Harper government wider shakeup of the meant to cut business reliance on the much-maligned program. Employment Minister Jason Kenney predicted, for instance, that when reforms are fully in place by 2016, temporary foreign workers in Ontario doing low-wage jobs will plummet to 1,369 from 4,419 today. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.