Expanded temporary foreign worker program still lacks protections, says institute

The federal government should be more focused on protecting temporary foreign workers before expanding the program, says P.E.I.'s Cooper Institute.

Last week, in news that was welcomed by the Island's tourism industry, Ottawa announced it was expanding the temporary foreign worker program to include seven new sectors, including accommodation and food services.

Even last summer, in a season still held down by the pandemic, P.E.I.'s tourism sector was struggling to fill jobs.

The Cooper Institute, which has done a number of projects and reports flagging concerns about how temporary foreign workers are protected and treated, acknowledges there is a need for workers, but argues if Canada needs these workers the country should make it easier for them to stay in the country.

"What we always do call for is permanent residency, just because it ends up kind of fixing a lot of the problems that we're trying to put Band-aids over," Eliza MacLauchlan, a program co-ordinator with the institute, told Island Morning host Laura Chapin.

"The temporary foreign worker program is keeping the same bones to it, it's just expanding. We are seeing folks coming in on employer-tied work permits for a limited time period. And what that means is it can be difficult to speak out."

In an email to CBC News, the federal government said it continues to work to improve protection for temporary foreign workers.

A new program is providing funding to community groups for support programs, and consultations for further changes to the program are ongoing.

Providing accommodations for the incoming workers, with P.E.I. already facing a housing crisis, could be an issue. The federal government said businesses will not have to house the workers directly, but will have to ensure safe, suitable, and affordable accommodation is available.

MacLauchlan said it will be interesting to see how the arrival of workers in the tourism sector will affect both housing and labour markets.