Human Trafficking and Temporary Foreign Workers

In section: Solidarity-Justice

Human Trafficking and Temporary Foreign Workers

At its first meeting in January, the Groupe Solidarité Justice SNJM of Quebec reflected on a text by Benedict XVI which was published for the World Migrant Day on January 13th.

Helped by newspaper articles which describe the reality of social services offered to families, the group noted that Canadian laws are becoming more demanding and restrictive for migrants.

Temporary Foreign Workers vs Permanent Residents, last 5 years

Today, the Canadian Council for Refugees has revealed some troubling statistics about Canada’s welcoming of foreign workers. Here they are:

“The number of temporary foreign workers increased in 2012. The number of migrant workers in Canada has increased by 70% in the last five years. Canada has been shifting towards a reliance on migrant labour. In 2008, for the first time, the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada exceeded the total number of permanent residents admitted in the same year.

At the end of 2012, the gap had grown: there were 338,189 Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada on December 1, 2012, compared to 257,515 new permanent residents in 2012.

Migrant workers are especially vulnerable to exploitation and abuse because of their lack of status, their isolation and their lack of access to information on their rights, and because the Canadian government and most provincial governments don't ensure monitoring of their workplaces.

More indeed, the structure of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has created possibilities for the exploitation of migrant workers and thus increased their vulnerability to being trafficked.”