At a CFA-hosted roundtable discussion May 3rd, more than 70 senior-level industry and governmental stakeholders gathered to discuss international labour issues. The event was co-chaired by CFA President Ron Bonnett and Rodger Cuzner, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour.
Central to the event were candid conversations with elected officials including:
- Hon. Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
- Hon. Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture & Agri-food
- Serge Cormier, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Participants explored the multitude of service delivery issues that have arisen within the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). A number of departmental officials attended as well, and discussed the steps to improve the fairness, efficiency and transparency of application processing and within the associated integrity regime.
Key points raised during the day’s proceedings included comments that:
- Minor clerical errors continue to see Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) rejected and delayed, with all parties committing to work towards improved transparency and communications
- Increasing LMIA processing timelines have highlighted the need for benchmarked service delivery standards
- Industry stakeholders are consistently recommending that government create an administrative, interdepartmental working group — with employers at the table — to address service issues on an ongoing basis
CFA staff will be working with Rodger Cuzner’s office and departmental officials to review the outcomes of the discussion and identify next steps over the coming weeks. For more information, contact Scott Ross.