Applications for temporary foreign workers have dropped by three-quarters following the new rules introduced by the federal government in June, says Employment Minister Jason Kenney.
"We announced a fundamental sweep of reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program earlier this year to ensure that it is used as a last and limited resort and that Canadians always come first in the workforce.
"Since those reforms were announced we've seen a 75 per cent reduction in the number of applications in temporary foreign workers on the part of employers," Kenney said during question period on Tuesday.
Alexis Conrad, the director general for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, says the reforms are proving to be successful.
"The number of applications received in July and August 2014 is approximately 74 per cent lower than those received over the same time period in 2012," said Conrad in an email to CBC News.
The new rules require employers not to cut down the hours of Canadian workers or lay them off at work sites that employ temporary foreign workers.
"Applications that do not include this commitment will not be processed," Conrad said.
The new rules have received a cool reception from employers in Albertaand Nova Scotia who say they can't find Canadian workers to fill low-skilled jobs.
NDP employment critic Jinny Sims said that employers are still laying off Canadians in favour of temporary foreign workers, despite the new rules.
"Canadians are getting tired of this smoke-and-mirrors policy making. When is the minister going to fix this badly broken program and protect jobs for those living in Canada?" Sims said during question period.
As CBC News reported earlier this month, the federal government is investigating a large electrical contractor in Saskatchewan over allegations it laid off 58 Canadian electricians while keeping temporary foreign workers on the job.
Kenney said it is "illegal" for employers to lay off Canadians and replace them with temporary foreign workers.
The new rules also bar employers from hiring low-wage temporary foreign workers in regions where the unemployment rate is above six per cent, and will require employers to cap the number of foreign workers they hire at 10 per cent by 2016.

Comment
"Jason Kenney’s Success

The federal government can finally declare victory in its war against Ontario.

Minister Kenney’s, and apparently the Prime Minister’s, “zero sum “vision for Canada is well underway. It will take a leap forward on January 2015 when Ontario’s demographics are further eviscerated in favour of Western Canada.

Starting in 2015, Ottawa will:

  • Turn away from Ontario approximately 60,000 legal immigrants and  workers, on an annual basis

  • Increase Ontario’s illegal immigrant population well beyond an unmanageable  500,000 -600,000

  • Manage the above without any apparent assessment of the cost inherent in Ontario’s dramatic demographic shift

Summary: Temporary workers

  • Prior to June 20, 2014, Ottawa’s LMO policy favored Western Canada’s growth sectors  over Ontario’s growth sectors
  • Prior to June 20, 2014 , Ottawa issued significantly more construction trade LMO’s to Western Canada        
  • On September 16, 2014 Jason Kenney proudly announced that he had issued 74% fewer LMO’s since his recent “reforms” on June 20, 2014. He patted himself on the back for such a momentous achievement which allegedly will save Canadian jobs
  • The Minister has not yet produced the paperwork confirming the breakdown of the regional and skills level consequences of his 74% cut back. It is a safe assumption that the Ontario trades will be cut to nearly zero legal foreign workers  while the Alberta skilled  trades have been treated well 
  •  The Minister has not touched the approximately 40,000 Ontario non skilled trades LMO exempt work permits or the  over 30,000 English/ Irish/French priority worker program   

Summary: Economic Landed immigrants

  • On January 1, 2015 , Minister Kenney will oversee Ontario losing approximately 30,000 legal permanent residents , on an annual basis





A direct, immediate and significant victim of Ottawa‘s frontal attacks of June 20, 2014 and January 1, 2015 are the Ontario trades.

While parading his evisceration of Ontario and its trades employers, Jason Kenney prays that no one will take note that his frenetic manipulation has not trained one Canadian or saved one Canadian job.

The facts are as follows:

  1. The number of LMO’s issued in Ontario to the construction trades in 2012 was 1,795. There is no number issued yet for 2013 but it’s probably under 1,000. For post June 20, the number will be close to zero.

Concurrent with his ignoring Ontario employers who can prove that they cannot source Canadian trades workers,  Kenney continues to issue work permits to Ontario THAT DO NOT REQUIRE LMO”s. In 2013 the number of unvetted work permits in Ontario was 42,577.  

His vaunted June 20”reforms” have not slowed down the Minister’s Irish , English and French pets. These lads take Canadian jobs that are not pre vetted to protect Canadians. No boss has to apply for over 30,000 of these chosen few who share the Minister’s values.

Meanwhile, fully vetted Ontario’s trades employers, who have already proven that no Canadian candidates exist, have been told to get rid of crucial, legal trades employees. 

The Minister continues to travel to Ireland in order to keep in touch with his roots and bring over the chosen tribe. They speak English but don’t have the skills demanded by Ontario trades employers.  

The Minister deports successful, but culturally and linguistically inferior, trades workers who are a back bone of the Ontario trades.

The Irish kids are probably taking Canadians jobs. The Portuguese, Italians and Poles have been certified as not taking away jobs from Canadians.

Guess who gets deported? Not the cute Irish.

  1.   The Minister has not saved one Canadian job in the Ontario trades.

 His refusal to extend LMO’s does not mean that tax paying skilled trades workers leave Ontario just because their legal work status has run out. 

The legal workers become illegal workers. They just lose their OHIP coverage. They stop paying taxes. Their kids continue in school.

Life goes on , albeit in a stressful manner.  

  1. A reduction in Ontario LMO’s simply increases the illegal worker population to absurd levels.

Well informed observers indicate that the GTA has now joined every large North American urban region in dealing with a 10% -12 % illegal populations.

This means that the GTA has to deal with a minimum 500,000-600,000 illegals.

While Washington at least acknowledges the severity of its problem with illegal’s, Kenney sweeps the problem under the carpet and accuses the US immigration system of being “dysfunctional”.

If it happens in the US it’s dysfunctional. When it happen in Ontario… its normal?

Please. Spare me.

Can anyone imagine Ottawa allowing, let alone encouraging, Western Canada being allowed to carry the cost of 500,000 illegals?

(The Minister once asked me if there was something genetic about Portuguese which caused them to form such a large part of the GTA’s illegal worker community. I recall advising the Minister that the reason the Portuguese were illegal was because the Minister refused to issue permits to Portuguese.

I forget if I asked the Minister if there was something genetic about the Irish which qualified them for special immigration status…. in any event, the Minister answered that particular question during St Patrick’s Day celebrations in 2014 when he was in Dublin handing over the administration of Canada’s Skilled Trades Worker Immigration Program to the Irish government . As part of their St Patrick’s Day celebrations, Kenney and Chris Alexander actually had the brazen nerve to issue formal press releases assuring us lesser mortals that the Irish did in fact possess the “shared values” that they were looking for)    

Please. Spare me.

  1. The Minister’s recent attempts to arrest illegal workers in the GTA is causing panic. Some illegals are leaving Canada.

The problem is that departing illegals are simply being replaced with new illegals.

No one in Ontario believes that the Minister’s revolving door of illegals is anything but a pre election gimmick. 

There is no reloving door of illegals in Alberta simply because trades workers have a front door in the Minister’s home province.

Folks who come through the front door pay taxes. Jason assures that Alberta gets taxes.

Folks who are illegal do not pay taxes. Jason assures that Ontario pays dearly for Ottawa’s mission.     

  1.  As long as the GTA economy is strong, employers must hire illegals simply because there are no Canadians willing to do the job.

The Minister understands this concept of “employer need” when it comes to ingratiating government with the farm vote.

If a mechanic repairs tractors then he is welcome anywhere in Canada. If he repairs heavy construction equipment in Ontario then he is deported, unless he shares the Ministers’ “values”.

The Minister does not understand the concept of respecting Ontario employers when it comes to the Ontario trades. Why? Because the Minister knows that his government has lost the trust and support of urban voters, especially those of the non ethnically superior type.

The Minister assumes that by destroying the GTA trades sector that he will curry favour with those who blame their own economic misfortune on “foreigners”, especially those of the non superior type.    

It’s too bad that the Minister has failed to address chronic unemployment among those Canadians who lack employable skills, especially those who share the Ministers’ ethnic values.   

Rather than help out the unemployable, the Minister has chosen to vilify those Ontario trades employers who have proven that there are no qualified Canadians in their trades sectors.

Alberta trades employers do not face the same dirty little war operating out of Ottawa. The gas and oil sector gets what it wants. The trucking sector gets what it wants.





The conclusion

Starting in January 2015, Ontario’s illegal population will balloon to biblical proportions as Ottawa introduces its bogus Express Entry” program and concurrently kills the Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.

January 2015 will see Ontario being denied nearly 60,000 legal residents, temporary and permanent, on an annual basis.

Ontario’s economy will become the dysfunctional centre of Canada.

Ottawa will continue to harass Ontario in a conscious effort to turn Alberta into the nation’s economic hub. For no apparently logical reason, the Albertans find it necessary to gut Ontario along the way.

We do not have a national government.

Ottawa is all about Albertans building Alberta while destroying Ontario. "

Richard Boraks, September 16, 2014