Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 15th, 2026

[Anne Patterson]

There is a great opportunity to select for talent that has the specific unique skill sets we need. Right now, with occupational selection, there isn't that opportunity to really get down to the granular level at which we're selecting for people who have highly relevant and highly recent experience. If we can do that, we can really target who we need to advance Canada's AI strategy.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Ms. Patterson and Mr. Joseph.

Mr. Deschênes, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Good morning, everyone. Thank you to the witnesses for being here.

Mr. Pierce, I listened to your remarks. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the current government's policy to significantly reduce temporary immigration thresholds.

In its latest economic update, the government boasted that it had managed to reduce the number of temporary foreign workers by about 70%, the number of foreign students by a bit more than that, and the number of asylum seekers by about 60%.

At the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, what do you think of the direction that has been adopted?

[David Pierce]

Thank you.

First and foremost, a temporary immigrant coming through the system is there because a business has indicated that they can't find labour in Canada. There are bad actors that we hear of all the time and, of course, they need to be pursued as aggressively as the government can, but in every case when there is an application, a business is struggling to find labour. When you see a broad-based reduction to that level across the country, treating all regions the same, that makes it very hard for businesses to operate.

For example, if you take temporary applications in Toronto, we understand the politics of that, but the businesses on one side of Toronto can be completely different from those on another side of Toronto. That's amplified even more if the business is up in Thunder Bay or in rural parts of western Canada, Atlantic Canada or Quebec. We're hearing from business and community leaders from Thunder Bay and right across the country that the reduction in temporary workers for key sectors is hurting business and should be re-evaluated as quickly as possible.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

What you're saying is that this Liberal government policy is bad policy. Is that correct?

[David Pierce]

I won't use terms like “bad” or “good”, necessarily, but what I will say is—

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Why?

[David Pierce]

Well, because I think that, from a practical standpoint, from the chamber's position, the business community is not about debating why something is happening. We're identifying the impact.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

I understand, but you're saying that this policy of reducing temporary immigration will have consequences. So do you think the Liberal government is going in the right direction when it comes to temporary immigration?

[David Pierce]

I think that, from the business community's perspective, the reduction in temporary foreign workers, and to those programs overall, has been a net negative for Canadian business.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Now let's talk about the repercussions, since you mentioned them.

What do you think will happen in the coming months, particularly with regard to the reduction in the number of temporary foreign workers?

Should we expect businesses to close and shift reductions at factories or in the manufacturing sector, for example?

[David Pierce]

Yes, and that's not a risk—that's happening. We've heard that it is happening in the field right now.

I'll use the meat-packing example from southwestern Ontario. The policy option there is to reduce temporary foreign workers, because there's a belief that there are workers in Canada who want to do those jobs. The employers in that region have said that's not the case, and so they've done the process to apply for temporary foreign workers. Without them, they can't operate their facility. From Canada's perspective, do we continue to have meat-packing in Canada or do we import the meat? That's the policy question that I think should be, really, the focus of your study.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Yes, it's a relevant question.

As to the scope of the phenomenon, can you help us quantify the number of businesses that will close and the number of factories that will have to reduce their output given this reduction in the number of temporary foreign workers?

[David Pierce]

I don't think I can speculate on that, but I'll go back to my business data lab to see whether they have additional information that I can share with you.

In my opinion, you can't look at these policies on their own, in isolation. What's the Canadian economy facing right now? Arguably, it is the biggest challenge to business in 10 years, maybe longer, coupled with a reduction in temporary foreign workers. Businesses are now struggling to compete and sell their products into the United States or into other markets. They're paying higher taxes than most jurisdictions, and then they can't find employees. That is a recipe to close a business, in my opinion.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

I understand that we can't quantify that, but you are hearing from businesses that are shutting down in certain sectors.

In what sector do you expect the biggest economic downturn as a result of the Liberal policy of reducing the number of temporary foreign workers?

[David Pierce]

The sectors we're watching the most are manufacturing and food processing, but there are hotels, hotel workers, construction workers and restaurant workers too. I'd certainly welcome an opportunity to send you a list from my team that will properly compile out.

To look at the hotel industry on its own—you're all elected officials, you travel all the time, and you stay in hotels all the time—they're struggling to find workers. It has been proven, time and time again, that it's a labour shortage, especially in rural parts of Canada. The question is, do you want hotels to attend or not? That's, really, what we're hearing from industry.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Deschênes.

Thank you, Mr. Pierce.

Mr. Pierce, to extend that, if there's any data you have in terms of where the labour shortages across this country are, I think that would be very helpful.

With that, colleagues, because we have a shortened panel discussion, I will go for one more round. It will be five minutes for the Conservatives, five minutes for the Liberals and two and a half minutes for Monsieur Deschênes. Then we'll have to wrap this up, and then we'll switch to the last panel. Is that okay with everyone?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Seeing no dissent, Mr. Ho, you have five minutes for your questions and answers.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

My questions are for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Pierce, in your opening remarks, you talked about how failed government policies have led to Canada's facing a brain drain to other countries. However, just last week, the IRCC was actively advertising the international experience Canada program to Canadian citizens aged 18 to 35, as a way to “Work and travel [abroad] in over 35 countries and territories”.

At the same time, the same Liberal government tells employers here at home that they need foreign labour to fill jobs in Canada. Does the chamber see a contradiction in the federal government's actively encouraging Canadian youth to go overseas for work experience, while Canadian businesses are lobbying for temporary foreign workers, instead of training and hiring those same Canadians here at home?

[David Pierce]

I can't speak specifically to that program, but if I can speak very briefly on youth unemployment, I don't see that as necessarily being a contradiction.

Youth interest in jobs, from what I've heard from our members, is far different from the labour shortages that we're hearing about from businesses. The interests and job opportunities that students who are coming out of university or who are still in university or college want to pursue are fundamentally different from that meat-packing example I was speaking of earlier, or the construction jobs or some of these other things.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Do you support Canadian workers and Canadian youth?

[David Pierce]

We do, absolutely.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Well, I find it hard to believe that. You're at the immigration committee. Your chamber has lobbied the federal government over 2,000 times since 2007—2,000 times—and as recently as last month, the chamber lobbied the deputy minister and other senior immigration officials multiple times, so why should we take your testimony seriously, rather than...? It's starting to sound like a corporate brochure that's being dressed up as public policy advice.

[David Pierce]

I'm sorry you feel that way. I certainly don't see it that way at all, and I can tell you from the conversations I've had with our network partners from regions across the country that the labour shortage is a real problem. I've heard from employers directly that they will advertise for positions in rural parts of Canada and not fill the jobs.