Sask. ranks low in terms of abuse, mistreatment of temporary foreign workers: data shows

As the federal government has vowed to reduce the number of Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) in the country – citing mistreatment and abuse as one concern among many – statistics show that Saskatchewan is on the bottom of the spectrum when it comes to employers taking advantage of their workers.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) makes data concerning employers who are found non-compliant with the regulations surrounding the TFW Program public.

Since 2017, a total of 41 businesses and individuals have been found to be non-compliant. Those implicated range from a fast food restaurant in Wadena not supplying the correct paperwork to inspectors – to a Regina sports bar not being accurate in its job listing.

This is compared to a province like B.C. – which had 238 businesses found to be non-compliant with regulations in the same time period. Ontario was not far behind with 235.

Manitoba proved to be a bit better than Saskatchewan with 31 – while Alberta recorded 200 non-compliant employers.

According to the Government of Saskatchewan, a total of 2,000 people were recruited through the TFW program in 2023. About a quarter of those came to the province to work in the agriculture sector.

Saskatchewan's 2,000 is a small contribution to the approximately 183,000 TFWs across the country – up from 98,000 in 2019.

The TFW Program was pushed into the spotlight Monday after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government will look to reduce the number of temporary foreign worker permits granted.

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The move comes two years after restrictions were lifted to fill the gap immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Today’s economy is very different from what it was two years ago … We no longer need as many temporary foreign workers. We need Canadian businesses to invest in training and technology and not increasing their reliance on low cost foreign labour,” he told reporters.

“For those who would complain about worker shortages, here’s my message: There is no better time to hire and invest in Canadian workers.”

Trudeau did refer to the mistreatment of TFWs as an additional reason to act on the issue.

“It’s not fair to Canadians struggling to find a good job and it’s not fair to those temporary foreign workers – some of whom are being mistreated and exploited,” he said.

A total of 41 employers in Saskatchewan have been labelled non-complaint by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada since 2017.

The proposed changes to the TFW Program will not affect industries including healthcare, construction and food security.

The federal government has said the changes will come into effect Sept. 26. Regions with an unemployment rate six per cent or higher will see their applications for TFWs refused.

Saskatchewan’s unemployment rate currently stands at 5.4 per cent.

Premier Scott Moe told reporters he’s unsure how exactly changes will affect the province.

“I won’t comment on the most recent changes. However, I would just say more broadly that we need to work together to make sure we are focusing on economic immigration that is beneficial to all in Saskatchewan,” he explained.

In his remarks, Moe referred to the need for discussion around the various other streams of immigration. In addition to TFWs, Moe also referred to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP), and international students.

Notably in January, the federal government announced a two year cap on the number of permits for international students – reducing it 560,000 to 360,000 or 35 per cent.

In a response to CTV News, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Immigration and Career Training parroted Moe’s comments; saying it will “assess and monitor the impact of the changes and work with the federal government to address any unintended impacts to priority sectors to ensure industry can continue to meet their labour needs.”

Passed earlier this year, The Immigration Services Act allows the province to increase investigative authority and enforcement measures to deal with immigration fraud.

As part of the legislation, maximum fine amounts were increased significantly.

In the case of an individual, it was raised from $50,000 to $750,000 while in the cases of corporations it rose from $100,000 to $1,250,000.

The province claims the Act provides the strongest immigration program integrity in the country.

In its statement, the government noted that it utilizes the TFW program as a last resort for employers who have demonstrated that there no Canadians or permanent residents available to fill vacancies.

The federal government has said it's currently reviewing its immigration strategy as a whole with more adjustments – including those aimed at higher wage streams of immigration – to be announced in the coming fall.