Still low support for Canadian temporary foreign workers bill

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has got poor feedback over the newly introduced legislation which was designed with the purpose of helping and protecting workers from foreign nations from exploitation.

President of the CCA, Michael Atkinson, said that there has been very little talk in that area.

In order to protect vulnerable workers from foreign nations, such as exotic dancers and nannies, from exploitation, the federal Conservatives have brought back amendments to the IRPA, Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Citizenship and Immigration Canada has stated that bill was introduced in the previous parliament for the first time, but couldn’t survive when the federal election was called last year.

Josee Verner, minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, minister of la Francophonie and Queen’s Privy Council, said that the move will provide strength to the immigration system of Canada by preventing circumstances where temporary foreign workers may be abused or exploited in Canada.

According to the bill, the minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism of Canada, Jason Kenney, will have the power to direct immigration officers to not grant work permits to defenseless foreign workers who may be brought into Canada and then forced to do below standard and humiliating jobs in spite of their personal resistance.

The amendments will also make sure that the minister of immigration can speed up the processing of specific applications, but critics claim that the changes would provide exceptional powers to immigration minister and that it would make him the master over who can enter in Canada and who cannot.