Ottawa is responding to a request from Quebec and will allow temporary foreign workers to keep their work permits for up to 12 more months. At the same time, the federal government says that the province will eventually have to wean itself off temporary workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis maximum extension of 12 months granted to workers in the process of being selected by Quebec will allow them to continue to support their employer while their eligibility for Quebec selection certificates is assessed. This, in turn, will facilitate their transition to permanent residency. The Quebec government will determine the sectors and workers it wishes to prioritize,\u201d explained federal minister and Quebec lieutenant Jo\u00ebl Lightbound at the announcement on Friday in Saint-Alban.<\/p>\n
This measure applies only to persons who have submitted an Application for Permanent Selection (DSP).<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve heard is that for many businesses, particularly in our regions, it\u2019s that they need labour, they need temporary foreign workers, and they also need time to adjust. We also heard it from the Quebec government, which asked us for more time,\u201d said Jo\u00ebl Lightbound.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have also heard, and we all agree on this, is that temporary immigration cannot and must not be a lasting solution to labour issues for Quebec and for Canada. There must be a bridge to go from the temporary to the permanent,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The minister added that 58 per cent of Canada\u2019s temporary foreign workers are in Quebec.<\/p>\n
PEQ and PSTQ<\/p>\n
It should be noted that the Quebec Minister of Immigration, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Roberge, put an end to the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) last November. This program was seen as a fast track to becoming permanent.<\/p>\n
Since then, foreign workers have had to go through the Skilled Worker Selection Program (QSWP) to obtain their permanent residence.<\/p>\n
However, this decision by the government has provoked discontent throughout Quebec. Temporary foreign workers fear that they will be sent home before their application is processed in the QTSP.<\/p>\n
In 2024, Ottawa imposed a 10 per cent limit on the number of low-wage temporary foreign workers a company can hire. As a result, many of them fear a shortage of labour.<\/p>\n
However, the federal government also announced on Friday that this percentage will increase to 15 per cent from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027.<\/p>\n
It is stated that this measure will \u201cmeet the needs of the rural labour market in the provinces and territories that choose to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minister Roberge\u2019s lukewarm reaction<\/p>\n
Minister Roberge\u2019s reaction to this announcement was half-hearted.<\/p>\n
He began by saying that \u201cany measure that allows the renewal of work permits for temporary foreign workers already in the territory is a good thing and deserves to be highlighted.\u201d<\/p>\n
He then added: \u201cOn the other hand, it is clear that these measures, which appear to be positive, will only partially address the uncertainty caused by the restrictions still imposed by the federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the Quebec government is asking is that Ottawa renew the work permits of all temporary foreign workers on Quebec territory, outside of Montreal and Laval. However, this is not what is on the table. Several questions remain. It\u2019s up to the federal government to respond,\u201d said Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Roberge on the social network X.<\/p>\n
\u201cOttawa is trying to correct the situation\u201d<\/p>\n
Quebec Liberal Party leader Charles Milliard welcomed Ottawa\u2019s decision and took the opportunity to take a swipe at the government.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, Quebec must do its part. The CAQ\u2019s improvisation in immigration creates uncertainty and complicates the retention of the talent our economy needs,\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n
According to the Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, \u201cOttawa is trying to correct the situation by reducing the thresholds in an improvised and indiscriminate manner\u201d after having \u201copened the floodgates\u201d for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is only with its back to the wall that the federal government resolves to respond to certain demands from Quebec, which is still in a weak position. This is another reminder that Quebec should have all the powers over immigration,\u201d said MNA Alex Boissonneault.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a breath of fresh air for some workers who have been abandoned by the CAQ, but it\u2019s far from what will resolve the uncertainty created by this government by the abandonment of the PEQ. What is being asked is the return of the PEQ with a grandfather clause, without delay. Minister Roberge must stop wasting everyone\u2019s time,\u201d said Solidaire Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrux of the problem\u201d<\/p>\n
The Quebec Employers Council says Ottawa\u2019s announcement is a step in the right direction, but believes it is still insufficient.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the measure recognizes the importance of allowing workers already integrated into the labour market to continue their activities while their file is being processed, it remains limited to meet the needs of employers,\u201d said the vice-president of workforce policies and economic intelligence, Daye Diallo.<\/p>\n
The CSN is positive about the federal government\u2019s desire to raise the limit on low-wage temporary foreign workers to 15 per cent, but says that \u201cthe crux of the problem remains.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe CAQ government must grant the Quebec selection certificate to these workers. By allowing employers to keep or recruit certain additional foreign workers (\u2026), it does not guarantee that they will be chosen under the PSTQ and that they will be able to stay,\u201d said its president, Caroline Senneville.<\/p>\n
\u2013This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ottawa is responding to a request from Quebec and will allow temporary foreign workers to keep their work…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":534574,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194295],"tags":[49,48,20739],"class_list":["post-534573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ottawa","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-ottawa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=534573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/534574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=534573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=534573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=534573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}