Food industry sector in particular big chain restaurants have long been employing Foreign Workers to work in low-paying jobs. According to the C.H. Howe Report, there were 100,000 foreign workers in 2002 compared to as many as 338,000 today, mostly in BC and Alberta.
Stories about abuse of this program leading to the replacement of Canadian workers is the key issue that leads to the suspension of the program. Many big chain restaurants such as McDonalds and Tim Horton have been the target of many complaints.
“Alexandra Fortier, press secretary of the Employment Ministry wrote in an email: ‘Canadians must always be first in line for available jobs. Our message to employers is clear: We will not tolerate any abuse of the temporary foreign worker program. We have made reforms to the temporary foreign worker program to ensure that Canadians are first in line for available jobs and to ensure that employers do not take advantage of foreign workers.’”
Read more about this development by clicking here.