Debates of April 16th, 2013

Opposition Motion--Temporary Foreign Worker Program

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I have expressed, and as many members in the House have expressed, we have concerns with respect to this program.

To the point the member made, I mentioned in my speech that one of the things we are focusing on, as outlined in the budget on pages 84 and 85, is asking applicants for the labour market opinion process to look at transitioning to Canadian workforce individuals. In other words, I mean making sure we decrease the number temporary foreign workers that firms in Canada are relying on and putting together a plan to transition to Canadian workers.

We want to be very clear. Canadians are at the front of the line. We expect firms to adhere to the principles of this program, making sure Canadians are considered. If they are not available at all, the temporary foreign worker program will be available to firms. However, part of the application to the program is making sure there is a transition plan to make sure Canadians are filling those roles.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to rise today to respond to the opposition day motion on the temporary foreign worker program. The government takes the recent allegations against the program very seriously. HRSDC officials are looking into the specifics of these situations to complete an investigation.

The original intent of the temporary foreign worker program is to help employers find temporary help in cases where there is an absolute and acute labour shortage. That is an important issue. The program was never meant to allow companies to replace Canadians with foreign workers. The clear focus of our government is on jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. As part of that, of course, Canadians must always have the first crack at any available job. Even now, after several years of the worst of the global recession, our economic recovery to date remains fragile. Yes, we are fortunate that Canada has the best economic performance in the G7, the strongest record of growth and job creation, but of course we cannot be complacent.

Our largest trading partner is struggling with a massive debt and modest economic growth. The euro area remains mired in a recession. At the same time, global competition from emerging markets is continuing to intensify, and these are challenges abroad.

However, there are also challenges right here at home. It is no secret that Canada is experiencing a mismatch between the skills workers have and the skills employers are seeking. The skills shortage is particularly severe in some trades and professional occupations, such as electricians, carpenters and engineers. In fact, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is one of many business organizations across the country that has identified the Canadian skills shortage as the number-one issue facing its membership. When all professions are considered, it is estimated that by 2015 there will be 1.5 million skilled-job vacancies and that number will rise to 2.6 million by 2021. Our long-term skills shortage is one of the most significant socio-economic challenges we face in Canada today, and addressing our labour shortages and skills mismatches needs to be a priority in this House for all parties.

I know that both the Liberal and NDP MPs recognize this, because they have written to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development on many occasions to intervene on behalf of local businesses. What are they intervening for? They are intervening for more temporary foreign workers. This is even in ridings with higher than average or seasonal unemployment. That is why we need programs that are responsive and flexible to ensure Canada's labour market meets employers' needs and ensures that Canadians look to the Canadian labour market first.

A key part of our plan for jobs, growth and long-term prosperity is that the government is moving forward with a plan to address the skills challenge. We are working to ensure that Canadians have the opportunities to gain the skills employers are looking for, so they do not need to rely on foreign workers.

Budget 2013 just announced the creation of the Canada job grant, which would provide $15,000 or more per person to ensure Canadians are getting the skills that employers are seeking. I know from my pre-budget consultations with small-business people in my riding that this is a huge issue for them. They need funding to develop the skills they need for their local businesses, and of course business people are the best ones to determine what skills they need. When fully implemented, the job grant would benefit an estimated 130,000 Canadians and would shift training from government to job creators and available workers who are better placed to determine what skills are needed; again, exactly what Canadian business people are asking for. The job grant would do a better job of connecting Canadians to the available jobs by attaching training to an available and unfilled job. We would match that up, and it would be a great program.

We would also create opportunities for apprentices by making it easier for them to get the experience they need. This would include the purchasing power of the government when contributing to projects such as the creation of social housing. For far too long, there has been a reluctance of young men and women in this country to become apprentices. This is why our government would provide additional incentives to reduce barriers to entry for those who wish to enter into the specialized trades.

We would also provide support to under-represented groups, including persons with disabilities, youth, aboriginal peoples and newcomers, to help them find good jobs.

There are about 800,000 Canadians with a disability who are not working but whose disability does not prevent them from working. Of those, more than 340,000 have obtained some form of post-secondary education. Our government believes that these individuals are a significantly untapped pool of talent with major contributions to make to Canadian society.

These improvements are part of our long-term plan that is focused on creating jobs, growth and prosperity.

Decisions in the private sector need to be made quickly. If a business opportunity arises in Canada and a Canadian business cannot capitalize on it quickly, then that business does not grow and new jobs and economic opportunities are not created for Canadians.

That is why we have the temporary foreign worker program for those absolute and acute labour shortages. When labour shortages are acute, the temporary foreign worker program is a short-term solution for businesses so they can continue to grow and create more economic opportunities for Canadians. The temporary foreign worker program is intended as a measure of last resort. It was designed to be a short-term solution for employers until a qualified Canadian can be found for that job.

Canadians must always have first priority for job vacancies. If employers cannot demonstrate that they are making genuine efforts to recruit Canadians first, they are not allowed to hire temporary foreign workers. That is clear from the program. The temporary foreign worker program was never intended to bring in foreign workers when able-bodied Canadians are ready, willing and able to take those positions.

As the minister has publicly stated, there have been some issues raised that she is very concerned with, and the government is currently investigating those concerns.

Further to the review of the temporary foreign worker program announced last year, economic action plan 2013 committed to specific reforms to ensure that Canadians get the first chance at available jobs. These changes would include measures to increase the length and reach of advertising for open positions before authorizing foreign workers.

We are also proposing to introduce user fees so Canadian taxpayers do not always have to bear the costs. We would amend the immigration and refugee protection regulations to restrict the use of non-official languages, as a job requirement.

As I previously stated, Canadians should always have the first crack at an available job in Canada.

Let me briefly sum up.

Foreign workers have the same rights as Canadian workers, including the assurance of at least the same pay for the same work at the same location. Let me repeat that. All employers are required to pay temporary foreign workers the same wage they are paying Canadian workers doing the same job at the same location.

Today Canada is recognized throughout the developed world for the resilience of our economy, and I mentioned that earlier. Canada has the best economic performance in the G7. Our low-tax environment, our highly educated and skilled labour force and our natural resource potential combined with a strong financial sector make us the economic envy of the world. However we cannot lose focus. In a fast-changing, competitive global economy, Canadians must continually aim higher to avoid falling behind. The Government of Canada will continue to promote economic growth, job creation and long-term prosperity for all Canadians.

Instead of spending more time studying this issue, I invite members of the opposition to support the actions that the government is proposing to fix this program. Instead of voting against new funding to help provide the skills Canadians need to find better paying employment, the opposition should support our economic plan. This is a plan that has created more than 900,000 net new jobs since the peak of the recession.

This is why the government will not be supporting the opposition's motion. We call on the opposition to support our efforts to reform the program in the interest of all Canadians.

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the member has a role to play here and has to read out the speaking notes he received from the minister, but the program simply is not as rosy as he is suggesting. I want to draw his attention to an email I received from a journeyman in the roofing industry in Edmonton, Alberta, who says:

The offshore workers have signed a two year agreement for 10% less then the journeymen are paid. The company has born the cost of flights and living expenses for offshore workers. At times there are language barriers, due to these workers not speaking or understanding English.

The flat roofing crews are busy working summer and fall. In the winter work slows down. Journeymen are told to stay home by their phone for emergency repairs. Offshore employees are working. Shoveling snow, counting screws and being paid for a 40 hour week.

Journeymen possibly work 10 hours a week....

Journeymen have contacted PC Riding office, to be told to go and collect welfare. Someone, please explain to me is WELFARE the only option???

That is the question I would like to pose to the member on behalf of the journeyman in Edmonton, Alberta.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will not comment on the specifics of the case, but what I can say is exactly what I have said. The temporary foreign worker program is absolutely not there, not designed, for jobs to be taken away from Canadians. That is not the intent of the program. If that is happening, that is one of the reasons why the department will look into these allegations. We take them very seriously.

The member from the NDP suggests there is something wrong with the program, yet there are eight members from that party who have written to the minister asking for more temporary foreign workers to be allowed in their ridings. If the program is so bad, why are they asking those kinds of things?

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about the whole concept of a temporary foreign worker program in relation to what it means for foreign workers.

We do need immigration to Canada. We do need people coming from around the world to enrich our society. In the past, those people had rights. Once they were living in Canada, working in Canada, they could access those rights.

I want to put for the member for Brampton West a specific example. In the case of the XL beef plant, a large part of the workforce, I understand, was temporary foreign workers, largely from Senegal.

In that plant, one worker on the line was required to handle 300 carcasses an hour and was supposed to clean his or her knife between each piece of work he or she did. Had those been Canadian workers, I believe they would have said to the boss that they could not clean their knives between each job they had to cut up a carcass and that they could not do 300 carcasses an hour and keep up with the workload.

However, because they knew if they complained, the temporary foreign workers might find themselves on the first plane back to Senegal, we ended up having the E. coli scandal that threatened the health of the Canadian beef sector.

I ask my friend whether we can look at the larger question. Do we want to encourage a program in which we ask people to come to Canada who have no rights, no rights to complain, no rights to do a good job, no rights to seek the protections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms? Also, do we not want to give those jobs to Canadians first?

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will reiterate what I said earlier. Of course these jobs should be for Canadians. As I said in my speech, the temporary foreign worker program is for absolute and acute labour shortages. The program is not designed for foreign workers to come in and take the jobs of Canadians.

With respect to allegations of what is going on in the workplace, all businesses in our country are governed by many pieces of legislation that govern what goes on in the workplace.

In Ontario, there is the Workplace Safety Act and there is the Employment Act, which regulates the amount of hours people have to work and the working conditions. All those pieces of legislation are for the benefit of whatever worker is in the country. If those things are going on, there are remedies for those workers, whether they are Canadian workers or temporary foreign workers.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, there has been a tsunami of concern. The parliamentary secretary had probably eight concerns in her speech. We got two in one sentence from that member.

Canadians are concerned. The RBC employees who are now training people from offshore to take their jobs are concerned.

We are looking for action and by supporting this motion, we have a chance to fix this program and get it right.

I ask my colleague if he is concerned about this. When the Conservatives took over, the unemployment rate in Toronto was 7.2%. There were 24,000 temporary foreign workers in Toronto at that time. The unemployment rate, under their watch, has gone up a point and a half in Toronto, but they have added an additional 40,000 to 50,000 temporary foreign workers.

Could my colleague rationalize that? Could he go one past concern? How can you justify that? You are on the wrong side of it—

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

Time is up, and I would again draw to the attention to the member for Cape Breton—Canso to address his questions to the Chair, not to individual members.

The hon. member for Brampton West, a short answer please.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, he is new, so I understand that he might not know who he is supposed to address.

The unemployment rate might be up from when the Liberals were in office, but we had a gigantic economic downturn. Was the unemployment rate lower in Canada than in the United States when that member's party was the government? The answer is no.

Historically, unemployment has been higher in Canada than in the United States. It is under this government that it is lower. The reason why it is lower is because of the actions this government took during the economic downturn. That is why our economic performance is far better than it was under that government.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The member for Brampton West made reference to the number of letters the NDP members sent requesting temporary foreign workers in their ridings. How does the member have that information?

This is an attack on my rights as a member of Parliament and it has to stop. Is there a spy machine over there watching every time we go to the washroom or raise a letter with a minster? There is no place for that in the House of Commons. How big is the spy and attack machine in the Conservative government?

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

I have to advise the House, and the member for Malpeque in particular, that I do not see that as a point of order.

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Hamilton Mountain.

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time today with the member for Newton—North Delta.

I am pleased to rise in the House to call the Conservative government to account for its complete mismanagement of the temporary foreign workers program. It has to stop and it has to stop now because Canadians are paying the price.

I do not think I need to remind anyone in the House of the scandals that rightfully have Canadians up in arms and demanding action. It was just a couple of weeks ago that reports revealed that 45 employees at the Royal Bank of Canada in Toronto were set to lose their jobs after the bank contracted technological services to iGate, an outsourcing firm that uses foreign workers. To add insult to injury, affected bank employees reported that they were asked to train the people taking their jobs. It is disgusting.

According to the rules, none of that should have been possible. Before they are able to hire temporary foreign workers, employers need to get a positive labour market opinion that demonstrates that bringing in foreign workers will not take jobs away from available and qualified Canadian citizens or permanent residents. By the government's own admission, RBC did get such an LMO from HRSDC. Clearly, something went very wrong, but neither the government nor the bank are fully taking responsibility.

In the case of the bank, it was a full five days before it issued an apology to workers and offered assurances that comparable job opportunities would be made available to the 45 affected RBC employees. Although the government has acknowledged that the LMO issued to iGate must be reviewed, there is still no timeline for either the review or action.

To make matters worse, we know that RBC is not the only example. Members will of course remember the myriad of news reports last year about HD Mining. In that case, the government had also issued questionable LMOs, this time paving the way for a company in B. C. to hire Chinese workers. The LMOs were issued despite the fact that some 300 Canadians applied for the positions. The upshot in that case is that a judicial review is now under way in Federal Court that will decide the fate of 201 temporary foreign workers hired at HD Mining International's coal mining Murray River project in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. It should never have gone to that point.

The Conservatives keep feigning outrage, but they created the loopholes that allow companies to abuse the temporary foreign worker program and displace Canadian jobs. Clearly, the system is broken.

Let me just give one last set of examples, this time from Alberta.

In 2012, the Conservatives launched a new accelerated labour market opinion to create a fast track stream for higher-skilled workers, such as management, professional and technical occupations. Under the ALMO, employers do not need to provide evidence of considering Canadians for open positions. They simply need to show that they advertised the job on the federal job bank for seven days. Less than 20% of ALMO applications will be subject to a compliance review and very little documentation is required during the application process. Evidence from government documents obtained by the Alberta Federation of Labour showed that nearly half of all ALMOs appeared to be improperly used to fill low-skill positions, such as at gas stations and fast food chains.

There are still 1.4 million unemployed Canadians. As the NDP leader asked in question period yesterday, which skills exactly are required to work at the Tim Hortons that the Conservatives do not think Canadians have?

It is not just happening in Alberta. Temporary foreign workers are replacing clerical workers in Ontario, fish plant workers in Newfoundland and Labrador and miners in British Columbia. It has to stop.

The TFW program was never intended to take jobs away from hard-working Canadians. In fact, this may be a good time to review the program's intent. The purpose of the temporary foreign worker program is to enable employers to hire foreign workers on a temporary basis to fill immediate skills and labour shortages when, and this is the critical part, Canadian citizens and permanent residents are not available to do the job. Clearly, that is not how the program is being used now.

Exponential increases in the use of the program, combined with reports that the program is being used against its purpose, prove that the Conservatives have completely lost control. Let us look at the numbers. The number of temporary foreign workers in Canada grew significantly under the Liberals and exponentially under the Conservatives. From 2002 to 2012, the number of TFWs present in Canada more than tripled, from 101,098 to 338,189. The number of TFWs in Canada grew from 100,000 to 160,000 under the Liberals and then doubled again under the Prime Minister.

The problem is that these temporary foreign workers are coming in at a time of record unemployment in the country. As I just pointed out, nearly 1.4 million Canadians are currently out of work. In March alone, we saw the loss of 54,000 full-time jobs, the biggest drop in four years. There are six unemployed Canadians for every available job, and under the current Prime Minister's watch, unemployment has increased by 320,000.

The unemployment rate remains in double digits in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and P.E.I., and the Conservatives continue to fail Canada's youth, as their unemployment rate has gone up to 14.2%. In my home province of Ontario, employment is down by 17,000. It declined by 15,000 in British Columbia, 11,000 in Alberta and 17,000 in Quebec. Canadians are clamouring for jobs, but the Conservatives are failing them when it comes to job creation, and the jobs that are available are now being given away to the lowest bidder. Let us make no mistake: that is what is really going on here. The government's handling of the temporary foreign worker program is part of its larger agenda to drive down wages in our country.

Let us look at the record. The Conservatives are attacking collective bargaining rights, forcing seniors to work an extra two years and kicking workers off EI unless they take a 30% pay cut. Now they are taking jobs away from Canadian workers and legislating lower pay for the foreign workers who replace them.

The Prime Minister's message to Canadians is clear: work for less or be replaced. How else can we explain the long record of broken promises when it comes to the temporary foreign worker program? We were promised action in the fall of 2009, in budget 2012, again when the HD Mining story broke, in budget 2013 and again just this month, when the RBC controversy came to light.

We have seen lots of talk. What we have not yet seen from the Conservatives is any concrete action. I worry that the Liberal motion before the House today risks leading us to the same weak results. It is precisely because I agree that the use of temporary foreign workers to replace Canadian workers in jobs that Canadians are qualified to do is an abuse of the temporary foreign worker program that I want to see concrete action.

However, what the Liberals are proposing is to set up a Conservative-dominated committee. How does that change anything? It risks creating a platform for the Conservatives to make more hollow promises without any guarantee that businesses will find the workers they need and that Canadian workers will have the opportunities they deserve. That is the result we must achieve.

Instead of setting up a committee, why do we not just adopt the motion that stands in my name on the order paper? It resolves that in the opinion of the House, the temporary foreign worker program is seriously flawed and mismanaged and that the government should take a number of steps. First, it should stop permitting employers to misuse the program. Second, it should repeal the provision allowing temporary foreign workers to be paid 15% less than Canadian workers. Finally, it should announce a clear timeline for independent review of the temporary foreign worker program and its impact on Canadian employment and labour standards.

I would encourage all members to support this much stronger alternative because it calls for the kind of action and accountability that all Canadians deserve.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to make it very clear that we recognize that there are some flaws within this program and that changes need to be made. If we ask Canadians to look at the bottom line numbers, no one will believe that there is a need for 338,000 or more foreign workers here in Canada today.

However, let there be no doubt that there is a need for temporary foreign workers in Canada. They are absolutely critical for the survival of many industries from coast to coast to coast. It is the Conservative government that has abused the program to the degree that we have serious problems, now flaws, within it that have to be addressed.

The motion being presented today by the Liberal Party would ultimately ensure that the long-term viability of this critical program, which is of absolute importance to our nation, is acted upon. It would put into place a mechanism that allows for the public, premiers and other stakeholders to come to the table and express what they believe is essential in correcting the program.

My question to the member is this: why will she not acknowledge that it is best to consult with the different stakeholders and have them come to the table and express the concerns they have, whether they are from Alberta or Newfoundland and Labrador? They have to be afforded the opportunity to come and present their cases and then we can—

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

Order, please. The hon. member for Hamilton Mountain has the floor.

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's passion. I just do not see that passion reflected in the motion that the Liberals brought before the House.

I absolutely agree that there is a need in Canada for the temporary foreign worker program. I also believe we need to make fundamental changes to that program, including, frankly, protecting temporary foreign workers when it comes to health and safety and labour protections, which of course the government has not addressed at all.

The member passionately says this program is flawed. Yes, it is. We know temporary foreign workers are being paid 15% less than their counterparts. We know what the problems are with this program. We have the example of HD Mining from a year ago. We now have examples from RBC. How much more studying do we need to do before we create solutions?

That is what we are charged with as parliamentarians. We are here to represent hard-working Canadians whose jobs are being displaced by temporary foreign workers. I am committed to delivering results for Canadians. I do not want more talk. I want to be able to deliver action to constituents whose jobs are being displaced through a temporary foreign worker program that is fundamentally flawed.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of issues on which Canadians are often ahead of politicians. I was immigration critic for a year and heard a lot from Canadians across this country about what they would like to see in a temporary foreign worker program. It is quite obvious Canadians understand that there is some need for a temporary foreign worker program of some type in certain specific and narrow circumstances, but Canadians also believe in and want a program that ensures employers conduct a thorough canvassing of Canadians first to make sure there are truly no Canadians available to do the work. Second, they want to make sure that Canadians get skills training so that before employers seek workers from abroad, everything is being done to ensure that unemployed young people and workers across this country have first crack at acquiring the skills they need to do the jobs.

The Conservatives have been making fun of the fact that New Democrats have sent eight letters out of hundreds of thousands of temporary foreign worker applications. That is because New Democrats realize that there are certain specific occasions when temporary foreign workers are needed by employers, and New Democrats help those employers when the applications are rejected by the government. There is no shame in that.

What I want to ask my colleague this. does she think that this program can be rehabilitated? What does she think of Canadians' requests that this program make sure that Canadians have first crack at jobs before employers seek to fill those jobs by hiring people who do not live here?

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yes, I think the temporary foreign worker program can be rehabilitated and, frankly, I think it has played an important role in dealing with skills and labour shortages at specific times in the Canadian community and in cycles of the Canadian economy.

The member is absolutely right. The program is supposed to be designed so that Canadians have access to jobs first. That is what we need to return to. That has to be a critical part of the rehabilitation. It is not good enough to post jobs for seven days on some website and count that as making jobs available to Canadians.

The member is also absolutely right when he talks about the government's complete failure to deal with skills training issues so that we can make sure that Canadians have the skills to take the high-skilled jobs that the government is saying employers cannot fill unless they go to foreign countries to recruit employees.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to speak on today's opposition motion.

For quite some time now the New Democrats have been keenly aware that the temporary foreign worker program is being grossly mismanaged by the Conservative government. Indeed, we have been quite vocal about it here in the House.

Over and over again there are cases in the news, and more closely in my parliamentary inbox, that remind me of the government's flawed execution of what ought to be a functional, important and complementary tool for employers and ultimately for all Canadians where genuine skill shortages exist in this country.

Unfortunately, it is all too clear that the program is not being administered with diligence by the Conservative government. Last year's HD Mining debacle in B.C. is one example. The growing backlog under the live-in caregiver program, which the immigration minister himself has admitted is problematic and needs fixing, is another example. Another example is that temporary foreign workers are currently being used to outsource jobs at RBC while their predecessors are training them. The list goes on.

Just over the last two weeks, several individuals have contacted my office to tell the same story. They were brought to Canada as skilled workers and they tell stories of abuse and living in fear. Now we are uncovering staggering abuses of the ALMO.

Let me be clear: I and all my New Democrat colleagues fully support the temporary foreign worker program and believe it should be part of a strategy to help businesses find the workers they need where real skill shortages exist. Our criticism is directed entirely towards the program's mismanagement or, more accurately, its obvious mismanagement under the current government. I want to make sure there is no question about precisely what we are taking aim at here.

The Conservative government keeps feigning outrage over revelations of inappropriate usage of the program, such as those exposed via the evidence out of RBC this month. However, it is the Conservatives who created the loopholes that are currently allowing companies to abuse the temporary foreign worker program to displace Canadian jobs. It is also the Conservative government that is issuing the visas required for the program.

The Conservatives continue to promise full reviews and investigation of this program, yet no substantial changes have arisen. Instead, all evidence suggests the problems with it are only multiplying.

From 2002 to 2012, the number of temporary foreign workers present in Canada more than tripled, from just over 100,000 to nearly 340,000. To break that down, the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada grew under the Liberals from 100,000 to 160,000 and then doubled under the current government. Neither side is clean.

In fact, the current government admits the number of temporary foreign workers entering Canada has generally outpaced the number of economic immigrants. In 2012, the gap surpassed 60,000.

Quite frankly, that gap startles me. Knowing that the government allows employers to pay temporary foreign workers 15% less than it would pay a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen, I am compelled to think about the unemployment rates in this country. The government's priority ought to be Canadian jobs. When I look at the unemployment rate, I am deeply concerned. Nearly 1.4 million Canadians are out of work, and in March alone we saw the loss of 54,000 full-time jobs, the biggest drop in four years.

There are six unemployed Canadians for every available job. Unemployment has increased under the current government. The unemployment rate remains in double digits in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and P.E.I., yet the government chooses to focus its efforts on clawing away at EI benefits, conducting spot checks and setting quotas, and punishing Canadians at the time they need that program the most, a program that they paid into.

As well, the Conservatives continue to fail young people. The youth unemployment rate in this country has increased to 14.2%.

When I look at these numbers, I cannot help but suggest that the Conservative government has a responsibility, an obligation, to unemployed Canadians first. That responsibility must extend to ensuring diligent and accurate labour market opinions. There has been a lot of suggestion in cases of late that the LMOs under the current government are not accurately reflecting the market. The skills are already available here in Canada, and those workers are training the migrant workers.

However, it does not seem that the Conservatives agree that they have a responsibility to Canadians first. In 2012, they launched a new ALMO to create a fast-track stream for higher skilled workers such as those in management, professional, and technical occupations. Already, just a year later, investigations imply that ALMOs are being misused to seek foreign labourers for lower skilled occupations. The investigation of the Alberta Federation of Labour revealed that nearly 50% of all ALMOs are being improperly used. This is unacceptable.

Under the ALMO employers do not have to provide evidence that Canadians have been considered for open positions. They need only to show that the job was advertised through the federal job bank for seven days. Perhaps most alarming, fewer than 20% of ALMO applications will be subject to a compliance review. That means over 80% of ALMO applications are granted without any compliance checks.

The government is interested in investigating and reviewing the problem. Might I suggest that its own frivolous issuing of ALMOs is an excellent place to begin? It does not need reviewing, it needs action.

Workers' rights groups continue to raise concerns about rights violations and poor working conditions for these temporary foreign workers in Canada. It is a worry that plagues me deeply as well. Documented incidents include workers being forced to: work in different jobs than the ones they were contracted for, work under dangerous or illegal conditions, keep silent about injuries or illnesses for fear of reprisal from the employer, live in housing provided by the employer that is substandard and overcrowded, and be isolated by their reliance on employer transportation. The Conservatives have not done enough work with the provinces on monitoring conditions for temporary foreign workers.

On November 9, 2012, the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development indicated that she was not satisfied with how the permits were granted for HD Mining in B.C. Several workers were sent home and the Conservative government announced that it was reviewing the program. The minister made that comment five long months ago. However, the latest stories out of RBC, which have prompted employees from other big businesses to come forward with comparable stories, do not suggest that her review has, thus far, been effective in the least.

The Auditor General told the government in 2009 that HRSDC does not ensure quality and consistency of decisions when issuing labour market opinions. Therefore, last year's HD Mining evidence was not the Conservatives' first indication that the program was broken under their administration.

Finally, I want to point out that it is only after months of New Democrats leading the charge of criticism on the government's mismanagement of the temporary foreign worker program that my Liberal colleagues took note of it. Canadians are tired of empty promises and unaccountable reviews that go nowhere. It seems the Liberals are content with setting up a committee controlled and dominated by the Conservatives.

Canadians want action. New Democrats want action. We are calling for real changes. There have been ample reviews and studies. We know what is wrong with this program. The Conservatives know what is wrong with this program. Therefore, New Democrats are calling on the Conservatives to fix the program now.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciated quite a bit of my colleague's speech. However, the intent of the motion is to bring some fact around this issue and to fix the program.

What we have seen is that the Conservative government is driven by ideology, as opposed to evidence-based policy development. The intent of the motion is to bring experts together around this issue, pick their brains, get some advice, and try to fix the program for all involved. It is an important part of the Canadian workforce. However, it is important that we get to the truth.

She says let us just change it. However, I am concerned about the NDP's position. What we see is that one in eight jobs created are filled by temporary foreign workers. That should be of great concern.

Yesterday, in relation to the number of jobs filled, her leader said 40% went to temporary foreign workers. I ask her, could she explain where she got that figure?

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, first, let me be very clear. We are not against consultation. We are not against people getting together from all different areas to discuss an issue. However, sometimes we have to take action in order to plug a flood. When we take that action, then we can take our time to study the issue in detail.

Right now, it is the government that is failing in its oversight and not doing due diligence when it comes to ALMOs and LMOs. It is also the government that has put in place that temporary foreign workers can be paid 15% less. That is an additional incentive.

With unemployment sitting at 1.4 million people in Canada today, I would say every Canadian across this country, whether they are Canadian citizens or whether they arrived in Canada a week ago, are permanent residents. They all want to have decent-paying jobs right here in Canada.

By the way, we are not blaming the temporary foreign workers who are brought in, because we are very cognizant of the fact that many of them live in some terrible conditions and face abuse. That is why we are calling for protections as well.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, at the outset, I would say that the member for Cape Breton—Canso wants the member to respond about where the 40% came from. Did I get that right?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Right on. Right on.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure where the 40% came from either.

I would say to the member that the temporary foreign worker program, as we have said time and time again, is not to displace Canadian workers. Where there are egregious examples—and that is what we are really talking about; we should just call a spade a spade and say there have been some egregious abuses of the system—the government has indicated that we are going to review it and we are going to respond.

However, members of the member's caucus have in fact gone to the minister and requested temporary foreign workers be allowed to come into Canada to fill unfilled vacant jobs; for example, the members for Skeena—Bulkley Valley, Halifax, Ottawa Centre, Churchill, British Columbia Southern Interior, Sackville—Eastern Shore, Trois-Rivières, and Brome—Missisquoi. These are members of your own caucus who understand that sometimes it is appropriate to bring in temporary foreign workers.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

Again, I would point out to the member for Peterborough that if he is going to be addressing comments, that he address them to the Chair and not to individual members.

The hon. member for Newton—North Delta.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I think maybe my colleague across the way missed the part of the speech where I clarified that the NDP caucus has been very clear, as has our leader, that we fully support the temporary foreign worker program and believe it needs to be a strategy. If our members have written letters, it has been because they have been presented with LMOs and ALMOs where they have seen there is a need.

However, what the member implies is that we are against the temporary foreign worker program. We are not. We are against the abuse of it, and the abuse of it is not by just the mining industry and the RBC. We hear stories day in and day out, actually, hundreds of stories every single day, of the abuses that are occurring. When people get abused to this extent and the issues make it to the Supreme Court and the government still takes no action, then we begin to wonder what the real agenda is.