Thank you.
Evidence of meeting #24 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
Evidence of meeting #24 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
2:05 p.m.
Conservative
Nina Grewal Conservative Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
All of us here recognize that there is a shortage of workers here in Canada, whether it be in construction, in hospitality, in farm work, or in industry. There's a strong demand for these workers.
My question is very simple: what improvements would all of you recommend in terms of the temporary foreign worker program?
2:05 p.m.
Waterloo Wellington Dufferin Grey Building and Construction Trades Council, As an Individual
Perhaps I can start off, Mr. Chairman.
I think some of my presentation referred to that in terms of compliance with the current regulations for temporary foreign workers. Ensure that there is a labour shortage in the area where the temporary foreign worker is going to be placed. And if indeed there is a labour shortage that's demonstrable through communication with local agencies, then ask, before that person gets on site, what their certifications are. How is that checked now in terms of their certification strictly when it comes to skilled trades? When they're on site and/or with an employer, where's the enforcement to ensure that the employer has those temporary foreign workers working in an environment that is equal to Canadian standards?
So for us, it's compliance before entry, and then upholding the regulation upon entry and working.
2:05 p.m.
Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, As an Individual
I have a number of recommendations on pages 6 and 7 of my brief. I'll just briefly highlight a few.
First of all, workers need to have their rights explained to them as soon as they arrive in Canada, and in their own language. I'll give you the example of EI benefits. Workers can receive parental benefits. They did not know about this until just this past year, when Jamaican workers started applying. Well, Mexicans knew about it and had been applying for the past several years.
So the sources of information need to be standardized and given to all workers. They also need an impartial appeals process so that they cannot just be fired and sent home the next day, especially if they're sick or injured. And they need the right to change employers.
I have a number of other recommendations here.
2:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Andrew Telegdi
Thank you very much.
Just to wrap things up....
Mr. Karygiannis.
2:10 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
If I may, I'd like to ask Ms. McLaughlin a last question.
Don't these people who come back time and time again have a sheet on what they are or aren't entitled to?
2:10 p.m.
Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, As an Individual
I examined exactly what information they are given. They are given very little before coming here, and when they arrive, again, very little. All they have is their contract. They have their contract and they do not have any information outlining their rights, such as EI. They're not given that in a standard way, no.
2:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Andrew Telegdi
Thank you very much to the panel.
One thing we have heard is that we need some advocates for temporary foreign workers. The other one that Mr. Dillon talked about, robbing people of their highly skilled and trained people, is maybe not something that Canada should be noted for.
Just to underline that, we have a lot of people who come here with degrees who do not get recognized. I'll give you the example of a gentleman who comes to my office. He's an engineer from Pakistan. He had a chauffeur and a maid in Pakistan. Over here, the only job he can get is to be a chauffeur or a maid. He's very disillusioned.
So this policy we have, where we only take people with university degrees and they speak the language, makes for very unhappy people if they don't fit into the economy.
Thank you very much for your presentation. We will for sure be talking about it.
2:10 p.m.
Business Manager and Secretary-Treasurer, Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario
Can I make a comment on that last point you just made about engineers? We have a lot of underemployed university graduates flipping hamburgers in this country who we believe should be given an opportunity to work in the trades.
2:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Andrew Telegdi
Thank you very much.
I think it's the bias that we had as a society growing up in Canada that we do not appreciate the trades to the extent that we should, because trades do very well. That's a problem under the provincial system. I want to thank you very much for your presentation.
We're going to take a couple of minutes and then we're going to reconstitute the next panel.
Thank you.
2:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Andrew Telegdi
The committee is now reconvened.
We have Derry McKeever of the Friends of Farmworkers. Please go ahead. You have five minutes. That will give us a little more time for questions.
2:15 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Before we start, I'd like to raise a point of order. As you know, we have three motions that have been filed: one by you; one by Mr. Karygiannis; and one by the critic, Mr. Bevilacqua, regarding having Bill C-50 come before this committee.
I've reviewed the three motions and would like to file one as well, for the record and for consideration at some point. It's fair to say that the bill itself is at the finance committee. I'm sure they will do a thorough review and investigation and will deal with it.
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
2:20 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Mr. Chair, we agreed not to discuss anything besides the three issues on the panel. Why does the parliamentary secretary want a motion?
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
I'm not putting a motion forward for debate. We received motions from three parties on this committee. We didn't debate them because there was an argument about whether they were substantive and whether we needed unanimous consent.
I'm not asking for them to be debated necessarily, and I'm not asking for unanimous consent. Just as the other motions were filed as we were proceeding, I also want to file a motion with the standing committee.
2:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Andrew Telegdi
File it, Mr. Komarnicki. We didn't get up in committee and make a speech about the other motions; we filed them.
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
2:20 p.m.
Liberal
2:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Andrew Telegdi
Mr. Komarnicki, we don't have to do this in the committee. There is a normal process that everybody else followed.
Anyway, the motion is filed and we'll go back to Mr. McKeever.