End temporary foreign worker program
Petitioners ask Canada to immediately end the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and create a separate program for seasonal agricultural workers. The government responds that recent 2024 reforms and LMIAs prioritize Canadians.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would immediately prioritize Canadian hires, reducing competition for entry-level jobs and addressing youth unemployment concerns highlighted in the petition.
- Removing the program could raise wages and improve working conditions by reducing employers' ability to hire cheaper temporary labour.
- Separating seasonal agricultural workers into their own program preserves a tailored farm stream while targeting wage and job protections in other sectors.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- An immediate end could worsen labour shortages in sectors the petition itself identifies—agriculture, food processing, construction and tourism—if replacements aren't available.
- Removing the program risks disrupting food production and seasonal operations that rely on temporary farm workers during peak periods.
- The government notes existing protections—LMIAs and 2024 reforms—so critics may prefer stricter enforcement or targeted changes rather than abolition.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is a large contributor to Canada's immigration system getting out of control with unsustainable immigration levels. The TFWP is taking jobs away from Canadians and holding down the wages of Canadian workers. From January to October 2024, over 160,000 new work permits were issued under the TFWP. Canadian Economists have observed that the availability of temporary foreign workers provides an opportunity for businesses to hire foreign workers for lower wages and unfavorable working conditions. Ironworkers Union (Local 97) has called on the federal government to immediately end the TFWP and instead invest in Canadian workers and protect Canadian jobs. Youth unemployment in Canada (ages 15 to 24) rose from about 9% in 2022 to over 14% in 2024—the highest level in more than a decade, excluding the COVID-19 period. In Toronto, the number of unemployed youth jumped 50% in two years, surpassing 120,000. The TFWP has led to a sharp rise in foreign workers in youth-dominated sectors like food service and retail. In Ontario, Tim Hortons hired at least 714 temporary foreign workers in 2023, up from just 58 in 2019. This surge has increased competition for entry-level jobs, making it harder for young Canadians to find work. For the sake of Canada's agricultural industry, the fraction of TFW's classified as seasonal agricultural workers should be treated as a separate program and not lumped in with the broader TFWP that leads to the suppression of Canadian wages. To foster a brighter future for the Canadian workforce, we, the undersigned, call on the Government of Canada to stand with Canadian workers and put an immediate end to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.
Government response
Response by the Secretary of State (Seniors) Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): ANNIE KOUTRAKIS The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that Canadians and permanent residents are prioritized for job opportunities, while also supporting employers in addressing genuine and temporary labour shortages through the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program. The TFW Program is a demand-driven program that allows employers to hire foreign workers only when they can demonstrate that no qualified Canadians or permanent residents are available. Temporary foreign workers hired through the TFW Program accounted for approximately 1% of the total Canadian labour market, and approximately 8% of non-permanent resident volumes in 2024.These workers play a crucial role in key sectors that face serious labour shortages, including agriculture, food processing, construction, and tourism. In particular, approximately 96,000 temporary foreign workers had a valid work permit in 2024 within the Primary Agriculture stream. To protect the Canadian labour market, the TFW Program requires employers to submit a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to the Government of Canada prior to being permitted to hire a foreign national. The LMIA evaluates whether there is valid justification and a genuine need for the employer to hire a temporary foreign worker, including labour market information confirming the presence of a labour shortage and impacts on the local labour market, while also imposing specific requirements. For instance, employers are generally required to demonstrate that they have made efforts to recruit Canadians and permanent residents before applying. This includes a requirement to advertise on Job Bank or its provincial counterpart, and, for low-wage positions, demonstrate that efforts have been made to recruit from at least two underrepresented employment groups (e.g., Indigenous persons, vulnerable youth, newcomers, persons with disabilities, and asylum seekers with a valid work permit). With respect to ensuring that an appropriate wage is being offered, employers applying for an LMIA must pay a temporary foreign worker, at minimum, the prevailing wage for the occupation and work location where the requested worker will be employed. Effective January 1, 2024, to better support workers and address concerns of wage suppression, employers of temporary foreign workers are required to annually review temporary foreign workers’ wages to ensure that they reflect increases to prevailing wage rates for their given occupation and region of work. Through periodic wage increases, these reviews help to ensure that employers continue to pay temporary foreign workers at the prevailing wage level throughout their period of employment. Employers who do not update wages accordingly may be subject to administrative monetary penalties and bans from using the Program. The Government of Canada continues to actively monitor labour market conditions to ensure that the TFW Program responds to current economic needs, and that Canadians and permanent residents are considered first for job opportunities. Recognizing the changing labour market, the Government of Canada implemented a series of program changes in the fall of 2024 to ensure that the TFW Program is used responsibly and to reduce the reliance of Canadian employers on temporary foreign workers. These measures included: A “Refusal to Process” policy for LMIA applications in the low-wage stream in census metropolitan areas with unemployment rates of 6% or higher, with exceptions for critical sectors such as food manufacturing, construction, and healthcare. A 10% cap on the proportion of temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions an employer can hire at a given work location. A reduction in the maximum employment duration for low-wage temporary foreign workers from two years to one year. A 20% increase in the wage threshold used to determine whether a position falls under the low- or high-wage stream, ensuring more positions are subject to stricter requirements. Stricter documentation requirements for employer legitimacy and enhanced oversight in high-risk sectors. However, exemptions were granted for positions in the agriculture and agri-food sectors that contribute to protecting Canadian food security and intended to help address labour shortages in these sectors, which are particularly severe during seasonal peaks. The TFW Program continues to work closely with provinces, territories, and stakeholders to ensure that the Program complements Canada’s labour market needs without displacing domestic workers. The TFW Program is regularly reviewed and adjusted to respond to evolving economic conditions, and to uphold the rights and protections of all workers in Canada.