BC Premier Eby Joins Push to End Temporary Foreign Worker Program

B.C. Premier David Eby is calling for an end to the temporary foreign worker program, saying it is linked to “unacceptably high” levels of youth unemployment.

“The temporary foreign worker program is not working,” Eby said at an unrelated Sept. 4 press conference in Surrey, B.C. “It should be cancelled or significantly reformed.”

Eby’s comments come a few days after the federal Conservative Party called for the abolition of the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program, saying the system is being exploited for cheap labour while youth unemployment remains high.

“Thanks to Premier Eby for joining Conservatives to end the Temporary Foreign Worker Program,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wrote in a Sept. 4 post on X.

Eby says it’s time for a “serious and adult conversation” to address the issues British Columba and Canada face in regards to its immigration system, particularly how the temporary foreign worker program and the international student visa program contribute to youth unemployment. He also cited impacts of high immigration on critical infrastructure, such as housing and schools.

“We can’t have an immigration system that fills up our homeless shelters and our food banks,” Eby said. “We can’t have an immigration system that outpaces our ability to build schools and housing. And we can’t have an immigration program that results in high youth unemployment.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney has “taken some good steps” to rein in immigration, Eby said, but noted that “there’s a lot more to do.” He said his province “is happy to convene” a meeting of the provinces that are concerned about the issue to discuss with the federal government how to improve the system.

Additionally, Eby noted “serious concerns” have been raised about fraud linked to the sale of TFW labour market assessments in Surrey, B.C.

Employment and Social Development Canada recently found that the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) has been misused by “unscrupulous employers,” who buy and sell LMIAs to misrepresent a shortage of qualified Canadian workers in an effort to justify their need to hire TFWs. The department also said it found employers engaging in “the unethical recruitment and exploitation of vulnerable foreign nationals for personal and financial gain.”

Youth Unemployment

Poilievre proposed this week that no new TFW permits be issued for any new workers entering Canada until the program is “entirely eliminated,” with those jobs instead going to Canada’s youth. He noted a separate, standalone program for “legitimately difficult-to-fill” agricultural labour could be created.

He said the TFW program has shut young Canadians out of employment and allowed some businesses to take advantage of newcomers.

“It is a very exploitative system that has allowed corporate elites to profit off of driving wages down and driving jobs out, and we’re going to put an end to it,” Poilievre said during a Sept. 3 press conference.

Poilievre noted that Canada’s young people have the worst unemployment rates of any group since the 1990s, outside the pandemic. Youth unemployment was at 14.5 percent in August, Statistics Canada reported, remaining high and slightly down from July’s rate, which was the highest rate since 2010, aside from the pandemic years. The national unemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage points in August to 7.1 percent.

A Sept. 4 report by Desjardins indicated that the “sharp rise” in young, temporary residents in Canada since the pandemic has played a role in the recent rise in the youth unemployment rate.

Poilievre said that nearly 75 percent of TFWs that come to Canada obtain low-wage positions, “which means they compete with working class and young people that ultimately drive down wages and drive away jobs.”

When asked about the TFW program prior to a cabinet meeting on Sept. 3, Carney said the federal government will be discussing the program’s role and how well it’s operating. He also said the Liberal government has implemented policies to ensure the overall immigration level declines, noting that TFWs make up a small proportion of immigration.

In Oct. 2024, the federal government announced it was reducing the number of temporary residents, which includes temporary foreign workers, from 6.5 percent of Canada’s population to 5 percent over the next three years.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said he has spoken to businesses in Canada, particularly in Quebec, and that their primary concern is U.S. tariffs, while their second-highest concern is acquiring TFWs. He said, “So we can’t just erase this program, but we can definitely improve it as a whole.”

Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.