Quebec Premier François Legault has just made the radical decision to put a pause on hiring temporary foreign workers (TFWs) for low-wage jobs in the province's largest city, and people in Toronto are calling for the same measure to be implemented here.

The freeze on TFW applications in the Montreal area, which will start September 3 and last six months, was announced Tuesday, with Legault saying that "over the past two years, the number of temporary immigrants in Quebec has doubled from 300,000 to 600,000."

"Quebec has always been and will always be welcoming to newcomers, but currently we have exceeded our capacity to integrate," he continued, blaming the federal government for the nation's recent "explosion" in these numbers. 

In Ontario, many have taken issue with the surge in the number of businesses utilizing Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) to hire employees from abroad for entry-level, non-specialized positions like food service, retail, and administrative roles.

These are jobs people say could be filled by local candidates, while those hired from overseas are potentially being exploited for low pay and worse, while companies reap the benefits of paying less, plus subsidies like the employer training grant.

They are not even trying to hire local young adults. They want adult hours, no guaranteed minimums, no benefits and the lowest rate of pay.

— Miz Schweizenheimer (@erika_ess) August 8, 2024

One person took to Ontario Reddit on the day of the Quebec news to argue that the precedent is now set for other provinces to do the same, advocating for our leaders to take the same step for Toronto.

"Non-stop daily posts of people applying to thousands of jobs with no answers while companies use TFWs to suppress wages and promote slavery. Do we have any shot of getting this going here?" they asked.

"What do we have to do collectively to stop this nonsense that is hurting us all?"

The post quickly accumulated more than 1,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments, almost exclusively from people who support the idea, but don't think it will come to fruition here.

Trudeau Pauses TFW's in Montreal.... What about Toronto?
byu/Kingofharts33 inontario

"This won't happen in Ontario. It happened in Montreal because the Premier of Quebec requested it. When Trudeau announced the limitation for international students, both Smith and Ford criticized the measure and argued to have it removed," one person wrote.

"Most conservative elected representatives want more immigration, and support TFWs and international students because it props up business without the need for government spending."

"Dont forget it also deflates wage growth for businesses which they also want," one person added in reply, while another chimed in "Workers who can't vote? Governments love this trick!"

Comment
byu/Kingofharts33 from discussion
inontario

Per the Government of Canada, an employer is only supposed to apply for an LMIA to hire TFWs in instances where "there is a need for a temporary foreign worker" because "no Canadians or permanent residents are available to do the job."

And yet, companies like Tim Hortons have been posting openings for tons of "LMIA approved" positions at cafes in Ontario, advertising to foreign workers while existing residents have been applying to hundreds or even thousands of roles in a decidedly difficult job market.

Ottawa finally acknowledged the issue earlier this month, and vowed to better police the LMIA and Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program, as some employers have been "abusing and misusing" it.

Legault is hoping that his move will help preserve public services, remove pressure on the housing sector, and more.

The veto applies not just to new TFW applications, but also renewals, though jobs in healthcare, education, farm work, food processing, and construction are exempt, as are any that pay above the province's median wage of $27.47 an hour.