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

[foresterab]

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.

So how to reform this?

Personally I can see, in very rare cases and/or industries, a case to be made. Some fixes I would like to see:
1) Positions must be advertised for months at a time and only then look international. I've seen some references to the current standard being as little as two weeks on a single job ad (Canada Jobs Bank) and then requests going in. And it can't just be offering X job for $15/hr for 6 months...if they truly need the job it has to demonstrate the job was advertised multiple times at increases wages/benefits until such a point no interest was found. I get it...some jobs like picking vegetables on a farm are not desired...but there's no reason "managers", "software engineers", "gas station attendants" can't be found especially at $36+/hr like the job ads state.

2) A very low cap on the percentage of the workforce than be on any time of student visa/TFW/Skilled labour import at something like 5% total. It should be 5% by hiring class because all that happens is that the student is then getting "work experience", beside the TFW, who is working beside the "software programmer" who happens to be short programming work and is slinging coffee.

3) we need to look at the percentage of applicants by country. I don't care if they're all from Mexico, USA, England, or India....one country should not be dominating

4) We need a serious crack down on fraud and/or abuse. Tired of hearing about, or meeting folks, who are being told they have to work X shift free or can't apply to work at other stores in the same chain due to control. It's near slavery and not what I want my country known for.

I would start at 10x the wages owed to the person (or earned) per offense and a lifetime ban for not only the business owner but also all directors/co-owners/company name. So if a Tim Hortons franchise screws up then the company is off the list regardless of ownership.

5) Every new canidate must be given a clear briefing on both Canadian and provincial labour laws. And hotline tip numbers to call. If during WW2 german POW's were allowed to work in Canada - at wages and conditions equal to Canadian civilians - and each work site was inspected regularrly by the Red Cross - why are we not doing this the same.

I'd also like a reward system for Canadians to be able to call in fraud/abuse situations and be rewarded like Report a Poacher tip lines. Nothing huge but enough.

6) Really need to look at the Criminal Code and deportation provisions. If you're here under temporary working rights and commit a crime you're gone - and ineligible for asylum claims. I know this is bigger than local policing or CBSA so needs a federal review of loopholes being used to stay.

7) We really need to look at jobs being offered and length of work permit and decide if this is appropriate. Long haul truck drivers for example coming in as TFW's who have never seen snow....how are they going to be proficient in less than a year especially when trucks and loads are different than the rest of the world. Some great truck drivers in other countries....but our conditions are not always their home countries.

 

[lenaitch]

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.

As a post-retirement gig I drove for a shuttle service to Toronto-Pearson. Where we parked was in sight of a rather obscure entrance to T3 and CBSA vehicles arriving with somebody in handcuffs was a fairly regular occurrence. As well, a retired RCMP member I got to know had a part-time job as an 'escort officer' for persons being deported.

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.

Back in the day, most gas stations had a fleet of kids pumping gas; now one - maybe two - managing the cash. I don't think North Bay has a full service gas station until you go out of town to the FNTs.

Thinking back to the jobs I had as a kid in the 1960s (not counting a paper route), they largely don't exist for today's kids. I pumped gas and did minor shop work. We had anywhere from two to four guys working depending on the time of day plus the mechanics. Later, drove delivery for a restaurant, as an employee, driving a vehicle owned by the restaurant.

 

[Czech_pivo]

As a post-retirement gig I drove for a shuttle service to Toronto-Pearson. Where we parked was in sight of a rather obscure entrance to T3 and CBSA vehicles arriving with somebody in handcuffs was a fairly regular occurrence. As well, a retired RCMP member I got to know had a part-time job as an 'escort officer' for persons being deported.


Back in the day, most gas stations had a fleet of kids pumping gas; now one - maybe two - managing the cash. I don't think North Bay has a full service gas station until you go out of town to the FNTs.

Thinking back to the jobs I had as a kid in the 1960s (not counting a paper route), they largely don't exist for today's kids. I pumped gas and did minor shop work. We had anywhere from two to four guys working depending on the time of day plus the mechanics. Later, drove delivery for a restaurant, as an employee, driving a vehicle owned by the restaurant.

The complete extinguishing of the paper route as a first, part time job has removed the first layer of employment, responsibility, customer service, time management and of course a paycheque

 

[Brad Sallows]

The complete extinguishing of the paper route as a first, part time job has removed the first layer of employment, responsibility, customer service, time management and of course a paycheque

All lessons imparted around the age of 9 or 10.

 

[GR66]

It's not just unskilled, entry-level jobs either. My son took a pre-apprentice plumbing course to get out of seasonal work with a golf course irrigation company. Worked hard and topped his class and was fortunate, along with the student with the next highest score, to get an apprenticeship in a non-union plumbing company. Last I heard, about 4 months after graduation none of the other students had been able to get apprenticeships. And supposedly trades are in high demand...but companies don't want to train people any more.

 

[HavokFour]

It's not just unskilled, entry-level jobs either. My son took a pre-apprentice plumbing course to get out of seasonal work with a golf course irrigation company. Worked hard and topped his class and was fortunate, along with the student with the next highest score, to get an apprenticeship in a non-union plumbing company. Last I heard, about 4 months after graduation none of the other students had been able to get apprenticeships. And supposedly trades are in high demand...but companies don't want to train people any more.

Same "need 5-10 years experience" for entry level jobs problem in other sectors from a couple years back.