Uncertainty and the threat of looming tariffs against Canada by U.S. President Donald Trump is putting Canadian jobs at risk, and the federal government should shelve its Temporary Foreign Worker program in favour of investing in Canadian skilled workers, a B.C. construction union says.
Ironworkers Local 97 business manager Doug Parton said the union has been lobbying the federal government for years about shoring up the domestic skilled trades workforce.
Parton said the union believes companies have been allowed to bring in temporary foreign workers as a "business model" that undercuts "wages for everyday Canadians."
"Every time we go out there, we think that they finally heard us and that they're actually going to invest in Canadian workers," he said. "But as soon as we leave there, it seems the program gets worse."
The union local says the federal government should put an "immediate end" to Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker program in the face of U.S. tariffs and "uncertainty" caused by the Trump administration.
In a statement Friday, Parton said the trade war with the U.S. means that jobs should go to "qualified Canadians" rather than foreign workers brought in to "fill gaps in the labour market."
It said the federal government needs to "curb the misuse" of the program and prioritize investing in training Canadian workers, and that the program "undermines worker safety and fairness" to the detriment of temporary foreign workers and Canadian employees.
Parton said in an interview Saturday that the problems with the program specifically in the construction industry have been long-standing, and "now is the time" to invest in Canadian skilled trades workers.
He said the prospect of thousands of job losses presents an opportunity to train more Canadians for well-paid positions, rather than allowing companies to fill jobs with low-wage foreign labour.
The union local is calling for a "temporary pause" on the program, claiming it's needed for the construction industry in order to "review and strengthen standards" for safety and sustainability of the workforce.
Parton said the union wants to work with lawmakers to reform the program to shore up support for those in the skilled trade sector.
"We should be investing in Canadians, taking every opportunity we can to ensure that if there is mass layoffs in all sectors, that Canadians have that first right," he said.
Parton said it makes sense for companies to seek out cheaper labour in the name of "corporate profits," but at a time when many Canadian jobs are at risk due to U.S. tariffs, bringing in foreign workers comes at a cost.
"Is that the right thing to do when Canadians are sitting at home?," Parton said. "I'm not anti-(temporary foreign worker.) I can give you 1,000 reasons why somebody would want to come to Canada, but when they come to Canada, ought not they be treated like a Canadian and given fair wages as well?"
