Ontario is saying no to an offer from the federal government that would allow more temporary foreign workers in rural parts of the province, citing its high youth unemployment rate, CBC News reported. The decision sets up a fresh clash between the province and Ottawa over how to fill jobs in regions where employers say they cannot find enough staff.
The federal proposal was aimed at rural labour shortages. According to the report, Ottawa offered in the spring that provinces could opt in and boost the share of low-wage temporary foreign workers from 10 percent of the workforce to 15 percent, but only in those eligible regions where employers struggle to find workers.
Ontario's answer was unequivocal. The province responded with a firm no, declining to take up the offer despite the persistent complaints from some rural employers about a shortage of available labour.
The province framed its refusal as a defence of local workers. In a letter, Labour Minister David Piccini said the rapid expansion of the temporary foreign worker program has had a clear and damaging impact on opportunities for Ontario workers, particularly young people.
Piccini anchored that argument in a specific figure. He pointed to the 15 percent unemployment rate for youth, arguing that the focus should be on helping young people succeed before expanding access to temporary foreign labour.
Ottawa pushed back on the characterization. The office of the federal minister responsible, Patty Hajdu, responded that the temporary foreign worker program is a last resort measure used to fill critical employment gaps when qualified Canadians are not available, rather than a first option for filling vacancies.
Business groups, meanwhile, were sharply critical of the province's stance. The head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business called the decision pure politics, contending that young people, especially students, have been looking for work even as employers in some areas say they cannot fill jobs.
Advocates for migrant workers raised a different concern. The head of an organization for migrant workers warned that many migrants have already been leaving as their work permits expire, arguing that people cannot be pushed out without someone to step in, and that right now there is no one to step in.
Piccini signalled that his rethink goes beyond the temporary program. One day after writing the letter, he said he is changing the province's immigrant nominee program, which offers a path to permanent residency, to focus more on workplace shortages and in-demand jobs.