Liberal (Minority/Majority) Government 2025 - ???

[PPCLI Guy]

I think we need to reduce / ax the TFW program. Then all those unemployed young people can fill the roles currently occupied by TFWs

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Somebody has to help pay the $90 billion OAS bill...

That program also needs to be significantly reduced so it serves the truly at need

 

[YZT580]

I think we need to reduce / ax the TFW program. Then all those unemployed young people can fill the roles currently occupied by TFWs

In the 60's and 70's boys worked pumping gas or washing cars and girls wore roller skates and worked at the A&W. The car washes are still there and still staffed by students but gas station attendants and fast food workers all seem to be TFWs. Yet young people are unemployed. The franchises are owned primarily by east Asians and that seems to be the groups that they draw on for staff. It is understandable if they cater to their own people but those people should be at the very least permanent residents of Canada. If they can make a case saying they can't get anyone else then TFW is okay but only then and the bar should be set fairly high for proof and not rely on someone's say so.

 

[ArmyRick]

Yup. Population pyramid ain’t pretty from a labour force standpoint. We could fix birth rates tomorrow and we’d still need significant immigrant labour for a couple decades.

The problem is many companies and corporations are abusing the TFW program, even government bureaucrats admitted this more than a year ago.
The UN (not that I really care for their views) slammed Canadian TFW program as "modern day slavery".
I did listen to an economist who said their is certain benefits to open exploiting TFWs for both our economy and our taxation/revenue sources (for example if they actually go home, they have paid into CPP, EI and income tax and really do not get to benefit from it).
Same economist said this TFW and immigration increase is a temporary solution to help pay for our social services such as OAS.

Lets be frank it is not sustainable. And unintended consequences are seeing record high youth unemployment.

 

[brihard]

The problem is many companies and corporations are abusing the TFW program, even government bureaucrats admitted this more than a year ago.
The UN (not that I really care for their views) slammed Canadian TFW program as "modern day slavery".
I did listen to an economist who said their is certain benefits to open exploiting TFWs for both our economy and our taxation/revenue sources (for example if they actually go home, they have paid into CPP, EI and income tax and really do not get to benefit from it).
Same economist said this TFW and immigration increase is a temporary solution to help pay for our social services such as OAS.

Lets be frank it is not sustainable. And unintended consequences are seeing record high youth unemployment.

I am not and have not been talking about TFW or the low wage service sector stuff where they predominate. I’m talking about skilled/professional economic immigration.

 

[ArmyRick]

I’m talking about skilled/professional economic immigration.

I am all for fast tracking doctors, engineers, nurses, tradesmen, etc. to be permanent residents and then citizens.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Immigration, at every level, should be strategically focused on the professions Canada needs and on age demographics that offer a reasonable prospect of being net contributors to our social programs and infrastructure.

Access to publicly funded social programs should be tied to an individual's contributions and eligibility, not simply their arrival in Canada.

I'd also establish a Canadian equivalent of ICE, tasked with ensuring that those who have overstayed their authorized stay, or who have no legal right to be here, are identified and removed swiftly and efficiently, with due process.

Immigrating to Canada, the greatest country on earth, is a privilege, not an entitlement. We have every right to establish clear expectations, enforce our laws, and put the interests of Canadians first.

FAFO at your leisure.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Access to publicly funded social programs should be tied to an individual's contributions and eligibility, not simply their arrival in Canada.

Lets apply that widely to include birth as a means of arrival. That would mean that the only Canadians (born, or naturalised) that would have "Access to publicly funded social programs tied to an individual's contributions and eligibility". If an immigrant is a productive member of society, and contributes to the country and its economy, are they less deserving than libtard SJWs that make no contributons to the systems but get subsidised education, health care, welfare, etc?

 

[Eaglelord17]

I am not and have not been talking about TFW or the low wage service sector stuff where they predominate. I’m talking about skilled/professional economic immigration.

I am all for fast tracking doctors, engineers, nurses, tradesmen, etc. to be permanent residents and then citizens.

Doesn’t matter if we bring in doctors, engineers, nurses, or tradesmen because those associations prevent them from working in their fields. Until we fix those, whether we bring in low skill or high skill, they will all be working as low skill.

A big part of the issue is the gate keeping, not that we don’t have people who can do a lot of that work.

Take doctors, we have former Russian brain surgeons working in other fields because it is too difficult to get certified here.

Take tradesmen, I have a friend who despite working as a millwright for over a decade they wouldn’t let write his red seal test.

My opinion is that TFWs should be paid 25% more than the average wage of that job in the area (government average statistics not what the employer says is the average). That will keep employers from abusing the program and only bringing in people as absolutely necessary.

A huge part of the issue with the program is wage suppression. There is no right to pay minimum wage for that work, only that the minimum wage is the lowest you can post the job for.

 

[mariomike]

Take doctors, we have former Russian brain surgeons working in other fields because it is too difficult to get certified here.

Taxi drivers inform me , without being asked, that they are doctors or engineers .

 

[YZT580]

I am all for fast tracking doctors, engineers, nurses, tradesmen, etc. to be permanent residents and then citizens.

this is a two-edged sword. Most of the new medical staff I encounter appear to be first generation. My own physician is in that category. Came here on a student visa, guessing she paid foreign student tuition fees which are far greater than a Canadian would pay, graduated and then stayed. We gained a doctor, her school made lots of money and a Canadian/landed immigrant young person was denied a chance to become a doctor; simply because of economics in the school. On the other hand we did gain a doctor. But we would still have gained a doctor had the other route been followed: the university would be poorer. I fully support fast tracking skilled individuals to fill vacancies I am simply opposed to using educational opportunities here in Canada to do so.

 

[Good2Golf]

Immigration, at every level, should be strategically focused on the professions Canada needs and on age demographics that offer a reasonable prospect of being net contributors to our social programs and infrastructure.

Agree fully.

Access to publicly funded social programs should be tied to an individual's contributions and eligibility, not simply their arrival in Canada.

Eligibility sure, but part of attracting qualified and contributing immigrants should be the efficiency of a single step selection and admission program. Not a two-step, “you’re, now you don’t get societal benefits for contributing until you hit KPIs X, Y and Z.

I'd also establish a Canadian equivalent of ICE, tasked with ensuring that those who have overstayed their authorized stay, or who have no legal right to be here, are identified and removed swiftly and efficiently, with due process.

It exists already. I’ve been on several flights from Canada to Europe, and one to the Caribbean l,for example where CBSA escorted a removal subject out of Canada.

 

[Jarnhamar]

PS. 200k of the 580k are already here. And the target is lower than this year.

When there is no repercussion for missing, shooting at a target is meaningless.
Besides, it looks like certain companies are being given a 5.56mm pencil if you know the saying.

Ottawa will allow select employers to hire more foreign workers under program reforms


The TFW program is rife with abuse. The Carney government feigned an attempt fixing it but is moving right back into familiar territory. Canadian companies have turned the TFW and LMIA programs into a tool for accessing cheaper, more compliant labour rather than filling genuine labour shortages. We have too many employers exploiting vulnerable foreign workers, suppressing wages, and using a system intended to address temporary shortages as a business model.

 

[Eaglelord17]

When there is no repercussion for missing, shooting at a target is meaningless.
Besides, it looks like certain companies are being given a 5.56mm pencil if you know the saying.

Ottawa will allow select employers to hire more foreign workers under program reforms


The TFW program is rife with abuse. The Carney government feigned an attempt fixing it but is moving right back into familiar territory. Canadian companies have turned the TFW and LMIA programs into a tool for accessing cheaper, more compliant labour rather than filling genuine labour shortages. We have too many employers exploiting vulnerable foreign workers, suppressing wages, and using a system intended to address temporary shortages as a business model.

Don’t forget the straight up fraud where they bring someone in and have them pay part of their wages to the person bring them in.

Another part of the program should be any employer found abusing employees (violating labour laws, etc.) they get a jail term. No fine, just jail. Fines are the cost of doing business, jail is unavoidable.

 

[daftandbarmy]

A nice summary...

Canada's Long-Standing Openness to Immigration Comes Under Pressure

Canada is scaling back its historically open immigration system amid housing pressures and shifting public opinion, raising questions about long-term labor needs and integration.

• As of 2021, 8.4 million foreign-born individuals made up 23 percent of Canada's population.

• Public support for immigration has shifted sharply: 58 percent of Canadians said levels were too high in 2024—a 14-point increase from 2023—driven by housing shortages and eroding confidence in government management.

• Canada reversed course on immigration targets, cutting permanent resident goals from 500,000 to 365,000 annually by 2027.

• Despite strong credentials, about 27 percent of recent immigrants were overqualified for their jobs as of 2021, and long-term earnings gaps—especially for women of minority ethnic backgrounds—have persisted since the late 1980s.

Canada's Long-Standing Openness to Immigration Comes Under Pressure

Canada is scaling back its historically open immigration system amid housing pressures and shifting public opinion, raising questions about long-term labor needs and integration.

www.migrationpolicy.org

 

[Halifax Tar]

Lets apply that widely to include birth as a means of arrival. That would mean that the only Canadians (born, or naturalised) that would have "Access to publicly funded social programs tied to an individual's contributions and eligibility". If an immigrant is a productive member of society, and contributes to the country and its economy, are they less deserving than libtard SJWs that make no contributons to the systems but get subsidised education, health care, welfare, etc?

I don't believe in birth tourism. And that should a closed loophole.

If your parents aren't Canadians then don't get to be one just because your mom calfed you here.

Unfortunately Canada has warts too. That's a whole other topic. That doesn't mean we should import more.

I want Canada to be an exclusive place, not inclusive.

Eligibility sure, but part of attracting qualified and contributing immigrants should be the efficiency of a single step selection and admission program. Not a two-step, “you’re, now you don’t get societal benefits for contributing until you hit KPIs X, Y and Z.

Wanna be a Canadian ? Work for it.

Want our milk and honey ? Work for it.

It exists already. I’ve been on several flights from Canada to Europe, and one to the Caribbean l,for example where CBSA escorted a removal subject out of Canada.

Good. Let's expand it and do it more.

 

[brihard]

Good. Let's expand it and do it more.

You can find enforced removal stats here.

Immigration removal statistics

Overview of removals program and removal statistics.

www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

I’ve had a couple files when I was still on the road where through random routine police work I encountered individuals who I determined either shouldn’t have been admitted in the first place (undisclosed U.S, criminality), or were probably an overstay (we identified it, CBSA got a warrant, and we encountered him again and handled it not long after). So there’s definitely street level enforcement of inadmissibility when it’s known to police and we encountered it.

Like most people in trouble with the law, there are finite resources to proactively go seeking many at once, but a lot end up crossing paths with ‘the system’ due to their own choices and getting scooped.

 

[Brad Sallows]

If they can make a case saying they can't get anyone else then TFW is okay

Therein the rub. How hard is it to fake the case?

 

[Brad Sallows]

I don't believe in birth tourism. And that should a closed loophole.

I didn't read the comment as applying to birth tourism. I read it as applying to birth, period, in a way that would require people born in Canada to long-term resident citizens would also have to work their passage. Was I mistaken?

There should be one status of citizenship irrespective of parentage, ethnicity/culture, birth or naturalization. Excluding birth tourism is as reasonable as excluding any prospective immigrant. No reasons need be given.