Good afternoon, Chair and committee members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.
The Canadian Labour Congress advocates on national issues on behalf of three million working people. Today, I am here with members of UFCW, an affiliate of the Canadian Labour of Congress.
For this study, the CLC recommends the following for the temporary foreign worker program, especially the low-wage streams. First, replace the employer-specific work permits with open work permits. Second, provide permanent residency streams for low-wage workers. Third, provide permanent residency streams for former low-wage workers who are undocumented.
In the UN envoy's report, he stated, “the agricultural and low-wage streams of the...(TFWP) constitute a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery”. We concur with that statement. The key reason lies with the impact of the employer-specific work permits that tie migrant workers to one employer.
The employer-specific work permit has a systemic impact of awarding all the power and control of the employment relationship to the employer, including employment of the migrant worker, compensation, working conditions and immigration status. It simply renders migrant workers vulnerable, and open to abuse and exploitation by employers, labour recruiters and labour traffickers.
The government says TFWP workers have the same rights and protections as Canadians and permanent residents. However, the employer-specific work permit takes away the ability of migrant workers to exercise those rights. The fear of getting fired and deported traps migrant workers in involuntary servitude, which generates a compliant labour force.
Easy access to vulnerable migrant workers has resulted in TFWP employers using the program as an ongoing business model, as opposed to a program of last resort to fill acute and temporary labour skill shortages.
I'm going to hand it over to Santiago now.