Labour shortage expected from

 temporary foreign worker rules

Seafood processors concerned they won't be able to take advantage of 

new market opportunities

CBC News Posted: Jul 29, 2015 2:52 PM AT Last Updated: Jul 29, 2015 2:52 PM AT

Without more temporary foreign workers, P.E.I. will not be able to take full advantage of new trade agreements, says Dennis King, executive director P.E.I. Seafood Processors Association. (CBC)

The labour supply in rural P.E.I. is not big enough to meet the challenge of supplying new international markets, says the P.E.I. Seafood Processors Association.

There are not enough local people to run the seafood plants on the Island, said executive director Dennis King, and new federal rules mean temporary foreign workers can only make up a maximum of 30 per cent of staff from fish plants.

• Temporary Foreign Worker Program: 'Stiff' new penalties coming Dec. 1

King is concerned that while new trade agreements, such as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the European Community, are opening up markets, the industry does not have the resources it needs.

"Our processors are challenged to meet existing contracts with the labour shortages they face in rural communities," he said.

"Ramping up production for new markets is just not possible with the current labour supply situation."

The P.E.I. Fishermen's Association is also expressing concern, because if the processors can't handle the fish, it will also be a lost opportunity for fishermen.

Representatives of P.E.I.'s seafood processing, harvesting, and aquaculture sectors will attend the Fisheries' Forum in Moncton this week, which is sponsored by the Maritime Seafood Coalition.

The new temporary foreign worker rules will be one of the issues addressed at the forum.

The source:http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/labour-shortage-expected-from-temporary-foreign-worker-rules-1.3172617

Finding expertise in the immigrant labour pool

0298LABOUR

by DON PROCTER Jul 24, 2015

Halifax-based contractor Dexter Construction has discovered a pool of “underutilized labour” that is proving to be a good hiring source for hard-working and reliable workers for its concrete division as well as other divisions in its fold.

Dexter Construction has had success hiring and retaining workers through the Immigrant Services Association of  Nova Scotia for its concrete division. The contractor was recently awarded the Refugee Employment Award from Citizenship and Immigration Canada for hiring six immigrants for its concrete division in 2013. - Photo: Dexter Construction

That is no small feat because it is difficult for many contractors to find workers who are a long-term fit in the concrete sector which tends to see workers come and go in the physically demanding trade. Concrete formwork is a case in point.

But of the six immigrants (some of whom are refugees) hired by Dexter Construction over two years ago, through a labour pool at the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS), five are still working for the company.

That is an impressive retention rate, says Ryan Kidney, director of human resources, the Municipal Group of Companies and Dexter Construction. Dexter recently received the Refugee Employment Award from Citizenship and Immigration Canada for hiring the immigrants in 2013.

"Concrete is very challenging labour-intensive work and it has been challenging to find people locally that want to work in that industry," he says. "Typically, if we hired 15 (local) people, we might have only five the next year."

So what sets the immigrants/refugees apart?

Fewer employment options for the new arrivals to Canada might be one reason they stick it out. Whatever the reason, Kidney says immigrants have shown a readiness to learn and a willingness to work hard. The jobs are mostly in concrete formwork but Dexter has set its sights on training some of the immigrants to do concrete finishing — a skill that takes years to perfect.

The type of work ranges from small jobs such as sidewalks to complex concrete bridges, he says.

Kidney says he came across ISANS while doing research on where to find workers a few years ago. The contractor hired the six through ISANS' Bridge to Work program, a three-month course which covers basic construction skills.

A number of those new hires — including several people from Butan — had construction experience back home but weren't familiar with building methods and technology in Canada.

"They were used to doing things by hand that we use machines to do," he says.

The contractor does much of its own training through the Dexter Institute. Originally meant for training in heavy equipment operation when it was founded in the early 2000s, the institute today trains 20 to 25 people annually in a program geared to construction sectors for which Dexter works.

"Some of the new immigrants probably will go through the program," Kidney says, adding the company is looking for more people with skilled trades largely for heavy civil construction work that is the company's bread and butter.

He sees a large pool of immigrants with construction backgrounds who are currently underemployed, often in low-paying service industry jobs.

"Many of these people (new immigrants) have construction skills that they haven't been using since they arrived here. They are the people we want," he says.

"A lot of people think in the Maritimes there is huge unemployment and maybe there is in some areas but in Halifax and vicinity there is not much unemployment."

Even finding people to work as labourers can be a challenge, he points out.

Kidney says he is unaware of any other contractors taking advantage of labour recruitment potential through ISANS.

"I would argue that it is an underutilized labour pool. Mind you, there are challenges with it because some of the workers' language skills aren't perfect. But they have to start somewhere and they have to be given the opportunity."

Dexter went back to ISANS earlier this year to hire 14 more immigrants for its expanding environmental/waste management division. The new hires work as drivers and as garbage pickup workers.

Kidney says winning the Refugee Employment Award, which is internationally recognized, was "quite pleasing. The only other companies in Canada that won the award were Sobeys and Safeway."

Jul 24, 2015

The Source:http://dailycommercialnews.com/Labour/News/2015/7/

Finding-expertise-in-the-immigrant-labour-pool-1009112W/#.Vbka-03oXvo.email

Comment:

"Cement Workers and Fish

Ottawa and Foreign workers

And the beat goes on…

The attached two articles say it all about the insanity of Ottawa’s never ending foreign worker Mickey Mouse mismanagement.

Item #1: Nova Scotia cement

Ottawa gives an award to a Halifax construction company for training a handful of foreign refugee cement finishers. Ottawa agrees that there is a shortage of good cement finishers in Nova Scotia. Canadian jobs are protected.

Meanwhile, Ottawa acknowledges that it does not have the labour statistics justifying the denial of work permits to Ontario cement companies.

Ottawa then encourages Ontario employers to hire tens of thousands of illegal cement finishers.

Jobs are protected for non-existent Canadians.

Item #2: Atlantic FishProcessing

Ottawa continues its journey into foreign worker lunacy by shutting down production at Atlantic Canada seafood processing plants as a result of employers being denied foreign workers in order to protect Canadian jobs.

Ottawa agrees that its social welfare money assures   that there is a shortage of good Canadian seafood workers.

So the idea is to protect jobs for Canadians who do not want to work.

Seafood plants will close. A few big trawlers will get the job done. But Canadian jobs were protected.

The obvious question …

Where is the logic in all this?

Answer:

There is no logic in Ottawa when it comes to foreign workers.

Why ?

Because Ottawa has abandoned a rational foreign worker policy to the big union bosses and a handful of their generous business buddies. Ottawa sees no need to interfere with a few good old boys making a lot of money.

Why does Ottawa do this?

Answer: Tradition

Is there a solution?

Answer: Not really"

Richard Boraks, July  30 2015

John Diedfenbaker

Comment:
"Chris Alexander & John Diefenbaker

C-24 and Citizenship

I was a volunteer during the 1967 Conservative leadership convention. The purpose of the convention was to replace former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, who had no intention of quitting without a fight.

I was up close with Mr. Diefenbaker at some pretty interesting moments. He had his faults…but “the Chief” was incorruptible. He felt this country in his bones. I’ll never forget the deep respect and loyalty of his sun beaten Saskatchewan farmers.

Joe Clark was also there.

Although Mr. Diefenbaker could not hold onto power, his vision of an unhyphenated Canadian identity provided both the Party and the Country with a firm foundation for just under 50 productive years. Citizenship bestowed rights to all…not self-defined privilege to the chosen.  

Prime Minister Joe Clark was more than true to the Chief’s vision of there being only one class of Canadian citizenship. I did not always agree with him, but Joe is a decent man of principle and fair play.    

In 2011, Mr. Clark endorsed Chris Alexander as a public service “jewel”. I’m certain that Joe did not know that while campaigning to serve in Parliament, Alexander was taking money from an adversarial foreign power.  

Its 2015.

We now have Chris Alexander on Twitter defending Bill C 24, which enshrines the concept of Alexander being a first class Canadian while “the Chief” and I do not quite make the cut.

With C 24, Chris Alexander does not have an asterisk beside his citizenship. I do. Diefenbaker did.

Chris Alexander knows that he can’t be removed under any circumstances from Canada. He also knows that I go to bed at night wondering if the circumstances will be found to justify my removal from Canada. Being the son of parents who were removed from their country of origin for reasons trumped up by Chris Alexander’s latest benefactors, I hope that I’m forgiven a dose of philosophic concern.    

Chris Alexander is not a stupid man. Joe Clark was his mentor.

Chris Alexander knows that he is weakening the Canada of John Diefenbaker and Joe Clark.

So what motivates Alexander’s behavior in weakening Canada?

Why does he exhibit clinically pathological behavior in denying that he has created a two tier citizenship and then abandoned judicial control over his citizenship removal process?

Frankly, at this stage, I do not care about Chris Alexander and his motivations. He has proven his ability to serve whatever master is paying the tab. He crossed the line when he took the money. It’s over.

I can only guess what Joe must be thinking about all this.

However disconcerting, the Chief can sleep in peace knowing that his foundation will outlast the cabal.

Canada has survived worse. The wrong will be righted."

Richard Boraks, July 30 2015

DEPORTAÇÃO - O que não foi ao ar.

Industries | Thu Jul 23, 2015 2:46pm EDT Related: FINANCIALS

Canada gets just six applicants for 

millionaire immigration program

VANCOUVER, JULY 23

Canada has received just six applications for its pilot immigration program for millionaires, far fewer than for its investor class visa that was scrapped last year amid criticism it was allowing rich Chinese to buy their way into Canada.

"I knew it wasn't going to work. It was poorly designed," said Richard Kurland, a Vancouver immigration lawyer who filed an Access to Information request for the data.

Canada said in December it was looking for 50 wealthy foreigners to join the pilot run of the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital plan, under which applicants must be far richer than those who entered under the previous program.

Kurland said the revamped program will likely "wither on the vine and quietly go away" given the clear lack of demand from would-be immigrants who balked at the high price tag and uncertainty about their investment.

Officials at the office of Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and at his department were not immediately available for comment.

Under the new program, would-be immigrants must invest a minimum of C$2 million ($1.5 million) in Canada for a 15-year period and must have a net worth of at least C$10 million. Among other criteria, they must also meet a new requirement that they speak English or French.

"Few were prepared to throw good money away, and C$2 million dollars is a lot of money to get a visa," said Kurland. "There was no monitoring oversight and control after the investment is made ... (and so) this is not a wise financial decision to take. I'm not surprised to see just six takers."

The federal government started accepting applicants in January, and had received the six applications as of June 8, the documents show.

Launched in the mid-1980s, the previous immigrant investor program promised a fast-track visas for foreigners with a net worth of C$800,000 and C$400,000 to invest. The minimums were later upped to a net worth of C$1.6 million and C$800,000 to invest. There was no language requirement.

The program was wildly popular, particularly with Chinese investors, first from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and later from mainland China. The Pacific Coast city of Vancouver, with its proximity to the Asia-Pacific region, was the preferred destination.

Applications surged over the past decade, and the program was frozen in 2012 as officials scrambled to clear the backlog.

($1=$1.30 Canadian) (Reporting by Julie Gordon in Vancouver and Andrea Hopkins in Toronto; Editing by Peter Galloway)

The Source:http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/23/canada-immigration-millionaires-idUSL1N1032DB20150723

Comment:

"European Trades Workers, Chinese Millionaires, Parents and Refugees

Canada’s quota for trades workers is 3,000 families. Despite hundreds of thousands of illegal workers in Ontario, Ottawa issued 90 trades visas in 2014.

Canada’s quota for millionaire immigrants is 50. Ottawa could find only 6 applicants.

Canada has an intake quota of parental immigration applicants. There is no actual quota on how many parents will actually be accepted.

Canada has an intake refugee process for persons from designated counties. The intake process is complex. It assures a quota approaching zero.    

The above numbers simply reconfirm that Ottawa is incapable of managing any immigration program.

It’s not that Ottawa lacks the expertise to get the job done. The bureaucrats are very qualified.

The problem is that Ottawa cannot stand up to the pressure groups that pretty much dictate program mismanagement.

Ottawa is like a casino. The immigration bureaucrats set up beautiful, fair games. But then individual commercial interests grab control of each table. The bureaucrats watch as the boys make the money. After the boys scam the system, the bureaucrats then start worrying about “integrity”. This leads to the retention of the programs accompanied with a systemic delay in file processing. This in turn leads to massive backlogs which in turn lead to the program being shut down.

A new program “table” is then set up in the casino. The boys come back. The game goes on. Only this time, the bureaucrats and the boys realize that they both benefit by making sure that nobody but the boys can play. By restricting access to the program tables, the bureaucrats avoid work and are assured “integrity”. The boys select which sheep should be fleeced. By not allowing European trades workers to apply, there is no backlog of trade’s workers. By not allowing parents to apply, there is no back log of parents. By not allowing refugees to apply, there is no backlog of refugees. By not allowing millionaires to apply, there is no backlog of millionaires.  

It’s amazing how much money the boys can make when the bureaucrats restrict access to the tables.

Every wins except Canada."

Richard Boraks, July 24 2015 

Ads telling Irish people to 

leave Canada spotted in 

Toronto, everybody confused

Torontonians confused and angered by Dublin marketing agency's 

'anti-Irish' recruitment campaign

By Lauren O'Neil, CBC News Posted: Jul 13, 2015 7:37 PM ET Last Updated: Jul 13, 2015 7:51 PM ET

A photo of the controversial digital billboard, taken while it passed through Toronto's Liberty Village, spread quickly after being uploaded to Facebook on Thursday. (The Social House)

A large sign telling Irish people to "go home" was spotted on the back of a truck moving through downtown Toronto last week, leaving behind it a trail of very confused — if not downright angry — Canadians.

Containing only the words "GO HOME IRISH!" and the URL "PleaseLeaveCanada.com," the ad drew immediate criticism among those who saw it live and those who saw photos of it uploaded to Facebook Thursday.

"Can you imagine how heartbreaking it is for Irish people to see this when walking around Toronto?" tweeted a 21-year-old Irish man living in Canada, noting that his mother had emailed to inform him of the ad after seeing it online.

Others were confused by the presence of such a sign in Canada, where more than 4.5 million residents listed themselves as being of Irish ancestry during the most-recent National Household Survey.

Of course, it didn't take long for people to figure out the sign's actual purpose by visiting the URL it displayed.

PleaseLeaveCanada.com redirects to the homepage of a Dublin-based marketing agency called The Social House. An overlay currently in place on the site reveals that the billboards are part of a recruitment campaign aimed at attracting talented Irish workers who've been living abroad.

"We want you to come home," reads a corresponding blog post on the company's website, addressing the thousands of Irish citizens who've moved to Canada for work in recent years. "Not as much as your mum, but still."

In an interview with The Daily Edge, an agency employee elaborated on what his team was trying to achieve.

"We want to bring good people back from Canada, Australia and all over – so it was done to promote a bit of a reaction," he said. "People who get it think it's hilarious. We've got loads of people messaging us saying that it's smart and well done."

The campaign's humour and good intentions were lost on those who didn't care to investigate the link, however.

As one Torontonian Twitter user pointed out, "people often don't read the back story to ads."

Others called out the agency for making light of or trying to capitalize on the "anti-Irish sentiments that were rampant in Canada and the U.S. in the 19th and early 20th centuries."

Comment:

"When Irish eyes are smiling

I love the humour behind the Irish attempt to entice their workers back home.

Ireland’s gain will be Canada’s loss.

I’m partial to the Irish. I think it’s because, as a baby in Cornwall England, I was nursed by an Irish nanny .I still choke up with Irish lullabies. The hand that rocks the cradle does truly rule the world.

In any event, compare the Irish and Canadian approaches to building a country. They use loving humour to get back their young people. We use venomous abuse to drive well established workers back to Italy, Portugal and Poland.

Which gets us back to Jason Kenney. He did a good thing by opening the door for some unemployed Irishmen. Kenney said that the Irish shared our “values”. Unfortunately, as he was placing out the welcome mat for the Irish, Kenney was putting the boots to the Italians, Portuguese and Poles. This reminded me of the old days in Toronto when only whites could get government jobs. Italians, Portuguese, Poles, etc were not white enough. 

Jason Kenney panders to the white trash voters…those who accept and protect the Irish and other blue eyed folks but find it so easy to feel threatened by the work ethic of brown eyed Europeans.

We encourage the brown eyed inferiors to enter Canada as illegal workers. They get the job done on time and on budget.  We take their taxes. We steal their CPP and EI contributions. We don’t pay overtime. We take their private pension plan contributions. Then we kick them out. But we keep the money.

My own general assessment of the situation is that like Kenney, most Canadians are comfortable ripping off hundreds of thousands of brown eyed Europeans. Business is business. Lower wages. Better service. No medical or social service costs. No unfavourable voting. No uppity demands from the job sites.  

Jason Kenney goes along for the ride. He then throws in a few legal Irishmen in order to pander to the losers who worry about the Asians coming into the neighborhood.

Where does all this fit in with Kenney and his promotion of “shared values”? Well, Kenney is being honest when he says that he’s protecting our “shared values”. After all, ripping off brown eyed people is a shared Canadian value…even among brown eyed Canadians.       "

Richard Boraks, July 13 2015

Temporary Foreign Worker

 Program: 'Stiff' new penalties 

coming Dec. 1

Lack of appeal process for 'extreme' penalties still a sticking 

point for some employers

By Susana Mas, CBC News Posted: Jul 15, 2015 12:26 PM ET Last Updated: Jul 15, 2015 1:30 PM ET

New penalties for employers who break the rules when hiring foreign workers come into force on Dec. 1. During boom times, Canada's oil sector has been a major employer of temporary foreign workers. (Gregory Bull/Associated Press)

The federal government has announced "stiff new consequences" for employers who break the rules when hiring foreign workers, but employers say the lack of an independent appeal process could be time-consuming and costly for individuals and businesses alike.

The changes, which take effect on Dec. 1, come after the government received feedback from 42 stakeholder groups on a discussion paper posted online last September outlining proposed consequences for employers found to have broken the rules.

• Irving holds Fort McMurray job fair to lure oil workers east

The new regulations, published in the Canada Gazette this month, apply to employers hiring foreign nationals under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Mobility Program and to individuals seeking to hire foreign caregivers.

"Stiff new consequences," said Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre in a news release last week, "will encourage compliance and help prevent employers from misusing the programs or mistreating workers by ensuring that employers who violate program conditions face appropriate consequences."

Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre said in a news release last week that new penalties for employers who break the rules are intended to protect the Canadian economy and workers. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Under the new rules, employers found to be "non-compliant"  following an inspection could face a ban from using the program ranging from one to 10 years for each violation, or even a permanent ban for the most serious violations. Currently, the only consequence is a two-year ban.

Employers could also face fines ranging from $500 to $100,000 for each violation. Amendments made following stakeholder feedback will see fines capped at $1 million per year, per employer.

Other amendments following the consultations include:

• Giving employers at least 30 days to respond in writing to preliminary findings of an investigation, with the possibility of extensions.
• Allowing employers to voluntarily disclose mistakes and receive a lesser penalty, such as a written warning.
• Reinstating "good faith" provisions to acknowledge human error, such as administrative errors or misinterpretations, can occur.
• Posting a so-called "blacklist" online with only the names of employers who have been fined or banned from using the program, instead of the names of all employers found to be "non-compliant."

Appeal process criticized

The new rules are meant to address concerns about changes to the program following a series of stories by CBC's Go Public unit that reported on allegations of abuse by several employers, including RBC and McDonald's.

But some stakeholders are concerned the changes still leave employers without proper recourse to appeal.

The compliance regime creates absolute liability for the employer.

- Vance Langford, immigration law section of the Canadian Bar Association

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the largest business association in the country representing some 200,000 employers, was one of the groups that wrote to the government about the proposed changes.

"We still find the penalties very stiff for small employers, but at least there seems to be a more reasonable approach to errors made in good faith and a change to the administrative decision-making process, that is allowing a written reply by an employer before a decision on non-compliance is made," said Sarah Anson-Cartwright, the director of skills policy at the chamber, in an email to CBC News.

"These compliance decisions should be balanced by a proper appeal process, but we do not see that ... which is unfortunate," Anson-Cartwright added.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which represents more than 109,000 small business owners, welcomed the amendments as "a step in the right direction" but also expressed concern around the lack of an independent appeal process.

"Too much discretion is left in the hands of the minister and the bureaucrats," said Richard Truscott, vice-president of the CFIB's B.C. and Alberta chapter, in a phone interview with CBC News on Monday.

Under the new rules, employers have at least 30 days to contest the findings of an investigation, but once a final determination is made, the only recourse available to employers is legal action.

"The ramifications for small businesses could be very costly," Truscott said.

'Absolute liability' for employers

The Canadian Bar Association also weighed in, with its immigrant law section making 10 recommendations for improving the proposed system of sanctions.

Vance Langford, a Calgary lawyer and an officer with the CBA's immigration law section, welcomed rules to allow for voluntary disclosure and the reinstatement of "good faith" provisions in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. But he said the CBA's other recommendations have not been adequately addressed.

"The penalties are extreme," Langford said in a phone interview with CBC News on Tuesday. "The compliance regime creates absolute liability for the employer."

The CBA recommended the government "develop a comprehensive review process that includes an appeal to a court, or at least a de novo hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal for findings of non-compliance and imposition of penalty."

Langford said the severity of the penalties combined with the lack of an appeal process "could put employers out of business," and consequences for individuals or families seeking to hire a foreign caregiver could be "devastating."

CBC News asked for the names of the 42 groups that provided feedback to the government but Pierre Nolet, a spokesman for ESDC, said the list could not be made public for privacy reasons.

"The largest portion were from organizations representing employers who use the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program and who could be subject to the new consequences for violating program conditions," Nolet said in an email to CBC News.

He said comments were also received from organizations representing foreign workers, the legal community and other levels of government, adding the federal government sent the proposed changes to more than 300 stakeholder groups
The Source:http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/temporary-foreign-worker-program-stiff-new-penalties-coming-dec-1-1.2937120

Comment:

"The ongoing foreign worker fiasco …

People, not numbers, lie

The good news is that Ottawa has a bureaucrat responsible for the “Integrity” of our foreign worker program.

The federal government’s chief management committee, headed by Jason Kenney, just gave the Integrity boss new powers. Starting December 1, 2015 the Integrity boss can penalize employers up to $1 million if they fail to keep their LMIA commitments.

Kenney is spending an additional $45 million to back up the Integrity muscle.

So far, so good.  

Now let’s look at a few facts. 

• In 2015 , Ottawa  has probably issued under 300 LMIA’s to foreign trades workers(unskilled and skilled) in Ontario 

• Presently, there are over 300,000 illegal trades (unskilled and skilled) workers in Ontario. Officially, there are no statistics or any other formal recognition of the existence or cost of illegal workers. They do not exist. They are a myth. Since they do not exist, government has no will to consider the cost of carrying 300,000 illegal works in Ontario.

• The Integrity boss has no power over employers who do not bother to apply for LMIA’s. Thus for every one foreign worker who is controlled by the Integrity boss , there are 999 foreign workers who do not show up on Jason Kenney’s “integrity” books.

•  The financial penalty to employers who simply avoid the LMIA process and hire illegal foreign workers is a fraction of the penalty faced by employers who run afoul of the Integrity boss

• While the LMIA office has millions of dollars to harass employers who try to follow the rules, Canada Border Services in the GTA does not have the money to investigate employers and unions who hire illegal workers. The reason Jason Kenney does not give the money is because there is a long standing agreement in the key construction sector that Her Majesty will not enforce the Immigration Act against GTA unions and larger employers.

• It costs $100 for an illegal foreign worker to register as a sub contactor and thus protect the employer. It costs an employer $1,000 in government fees plus another few hundred in advertising and about $2,000 -$3,000 in legal fees to apply for an LMIA that may be issued in a few months.

• Foreign workers are limited to 4 tax paying years in Canada. Many illegal workers have been here for a lot longer without paying taxes. Government losses over $1 billion annually on unpaid taxes

• Employers are responsible for paying the 50% overtime charge for legal workers. Illegal workers save the employer the 50%. Employers make over $2 billion a year on unpaid overtime   

Conclusion

The concept of Integrity in the foreign worker system stands on par with the concept of virginity in a brothel. The process is pretty much the same. The players are pretty much the same.

Whether a whore house or an Ontario job site, Her Majesty’s role is pretty much the same…. enforcement if necessary but not necessarily enforcement. Tax no evil. See no evil."

Richard Boraks, July 16 2015

Ministers announce plan for labour statistics council

BILL CURRY

OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail

Published Friday, Jul. 10, 2015 7:25PM EDT

Last updated Friday, Jul. 10, 2015 7:27PM EDT

Ottawa and the provinces are promising to create a new labour statistics body, but frustration is mounting over the fact that no money has yet been announced and no date has been set as to when it will launch.

Federal and provincial labour ministers announced at a meeting this week in Quebec City that they will create a Labour Market Information Council, but few details were provided other than to say that governments were still working on a final plan.

“The local market needs is one of the most important issues,” Sam Hamad, Quebec’s Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity, said in a brief interview this week.

The idea of such a body has been discussed as far back as 2009 when the federal government commissioned a detailed report on how to improve labour market information. Business and labour groups have been calling for better data in recent years in response to the heated debate over policies such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and whether such measures are truly needed to fill Canadian job vacancies.

Additional information on the proposed council provided to The Globe and Mail said the body will be run jointly by Ottawa and the provinces under the Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM) and will operate under a “consensus-based decision-making” process led by a committee of deputy ministers.

Federal Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre said ministers made “significant progress” this week.

“Rather than a new bureaucracy, ministers have agreed to work together through the [Labour Market Information] Council to improve labour market information for Canadians,” he said in a statement. A spokesperson for Mr. Poilievre said the council will be funded by the federal and provincial governments, but did not provide an amount.

The 2009 report commissioned by the FLMM and led by economist Don Drummond had estimated that such a council would cost about $49.4-million a year, with $41-million going to Statistics Canada.

Polytechnics Canada chief executive officer Nobina Robinson, who has advocated for the creation of such a council, says it is taking too long to get going and she’s frustrated that Ottawa has not announced any money for the project.

“If we say that the No. 1 priority for any political party is jobs, then surely the No. 1 action has to be a way of connecting those people who are being trained to those people who need those workers,” she said. As a result, employers may be bringing in workers from abroad without knowing about recent Canadian graduates who could fill the position.

“Instead, we get really dangerous policy decisions such as ‘do this on temporary foreign workers,’ or ‘don’t do this on immigration’ and we don’t know what’s happening in our domestic [labour] supply,” she said.

Ms. Robinson said there is huge potential in merging the information currently being gathered by postsecondary institutions in order to provide governments, employers, parents, high school students and Canadians looking for new jobs with valuable information about what skills are in demand and what areas of the country are most in need of workers.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce issued a report card earlier this year that gave C grades to most aspects of Canada’s labour market system.

Sarah Anson-Cartwright, the chamber’s director of skills policy, said Friday that the announcement of the council is positive but she shares the frustration of others that no money has been announced to fund the project.

“We do see that this is a useful step but it needs to be completed by proper investment,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a big-ticket item.”

Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff said the lack of action is frustrating.

“I think they’re just repeating the same rhetoric that they’ve done before,” he said. “There’s no new money here.”

The Source:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ministers-announce-plan-for-labour-statistics-council/article25421942/

Victoria restaurants face chef shortage, 

broken industry, says restaurateur

"The simple answer is, cooks do not make enough money for

 the hard, hard job they have," says owner

By On the Island, CBC News Posted: Jul 12, 2015 
1:47 PM PT Last Updated: Jul 13, 2015 11:06 AM PT

Chefs need to be paid more, but the current restaurant model is broken, says Victoria
restaurateur Sterling Grice, co-owner of Foo, Foo Ramen, and Part and Parcel. (Getty Images/Caiaimage)

British Columbia led the country with more than 15,000 job gains across the
 province in June, but one sector in particular is having trouble filling those jobs.

Canada sheds 6,400 jobs in June

"Qualified cooks are so few and far between that my poor business
 partner and chef Grant [Gard] is working 90 hours a week because 
he can't find the right fit," said Sterling Grice, co-owner of Foo, Foo Ramen 
and Part and Parcel in Victoria.

The summer usually brings with it a rush of young applicants, but 
not this year, he said.  Already he's spent more than four months 
looking for new kitchen staff, and other restaurateurs are no better off, 
he added.

"If you look at Craigslist, there's nothing but chef and line cook positions
 available at way too many restaurants."  

The problem is both the high demand for quality chefs and the short 
supply of ready candidates, said Grice, who said the city has North America's
 second-highest number of restaurants per capita, behind San Francisco.

'Glamour-less' job

"The simple answer is, cooks do not make enough money for the hard,
 hard job they have.

"It's a really hard place to work. It is loud and rude. Burns and cuts. 
Poor pay. Long hours," he said.

One of his fellow restaurateurs has gone through four chefs this 
summer alone, Grice said. 

"They see it on TV with Gordon Ramsay, with all these new celebrity 
chefs [like] David Chang, and it seems like an amazing job, but the reality
 is there's only a small percentage that actually attains that super ultra cool 
and lucrative lifestyle."

Can't afford to pay more

Grice, who has been in the business for nearly 27 years, said he
 pays a higher hourly rate than most restaurateurs in the city, 
and his restaurants split tips equally among all staff.

He hopes that adds up to a living wage, he said, because
 he's running out of options.  

Others who have tried to do away with tips altogether and
 charge a higher menu price have failed, said Grice, referring to
 David Jones' three-month long experiment with Smoke 'N
 Water in Parksville.

"The system is broken. We need to charge considerably more
 than we are, and if we did it and if we were the only restaurant 
to do it, we would be out of business."

Rising food prices, stagnant menu prices

Statistics Canada reported a five per cent increase in food prices
 overall, and a 14 per cent jump in meat costs between January 2014
 and January 2015.

"That hasn't been reflected in anyone's menu, because you're almost 
afraid to raise your prices by 50 cents, because people are going to balk. 

"People do not want to pay for what food is actually worth."

To hear the full interview with Sterling Grice, listen to the audio labelled: Restaurateur Sterling Grice on Victoria's chef shortage

The Source:http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/victoria-
restaurants-face-chef-shortage-broken-industry-says-restaurateur-1.3148241

Comment:

"Garbage in … Garbage out

In 2014, Jason Kenney went across the country giving away money for skills training.

On June 20, 2014 Jason Kenney went on television and stopped Canadian employers from hiring legal skilled workers. 

Kenney admitted that he did not have the statistics to justify his actions. Kenney said that he would use the employers’ money to come up, by the spring of 2015, with statistics to prove the availability of qualified Canadians. 

Kenney took the employers’ money. He did not come up with any statistics.

Last week, Kenney’s government announced that, after 148 years, Canada now requires a new federal provincial committee to come up with the skilled worker numbers.

For 148 years, Canadian employers and provincial government’s workers trained workers.  The shortfalls in training were made up through legal immigration.  

The employers and the provinces must have done something right. They built a pretty good country.

Now we are told by Kenney’s government that:

• There are no skilled worker statistics
• We do not even have the mechanism to generate the statistics.

All of which begs two questions:

1. How did the nation train workers and admit foreign workers without a federal/ provincial statistics committee?
2. If Kenney does not have the statistics, then why is he giving away training money and stopping foreign workers?

The answer is simple: Jason Kenney has done his pre-election focus groups.

Kenney is giving Canadians exactly what the focus groups want …Employers, unions and consumers get hundreds of thousands of illegal workers who will work longer and better for less. ….Unemployable Canadians are paid to pretend they are being trained  … Qualified Canadians squeeze out the new workers and are free to hold  employers to ransom by demanding more for doing less.

After 148 years, Jason Kenney has given us what the focus groups want --- Greece. "

Richard Boraks, July 13 2015