Re: Temporary foreign workers
This program should never have evolved and seen the light of day.
Joyce Constantineau’s article in the Red Deer Advocate of June 30 states all her negative feelings about Canadian workers while on the other hand puts much positive emphasis about the foreign workers she has encountered. From the tone of her comments, I believe she has other issues that are troubling her.
During the last war, Canada had a very successful manufacturing war effort. Canada developed new industries on short notice while many thousands of men and women were in the armed services.
It is interesting to note that these managers/owners at the time could draft plans and implement without delay and without foreign workers. Today, businesses seem to have gotten into a rut by not conducting real-time planning and thoroughly investigating all aspects required when developing an enterprise.
Temporary foreign workers’ wages and benefits, such as air fare, medical and housing, are being paid to entice foreign workers to come and work in Canada. Why could these costs not be applied to a higher wage for a Canadian worker?
Tim Hortons, for example, has many franchises in Red Deer and are planning another franchise, knowing full well the labour shortages. Can this be greed?
Why does the provincial government and industry wish to develop every square acre of the tar sands and now find that existing pipelines cannot hold the crude oil that is being produced. Again, it shows the lack of planning and industry’s greed.
Lastly, no politician has commented on the fact that the temporary workers go home with their wages, spend their money in their home countries, and Canada loses millions of dollars in economic benefits.
Fred Gifford
Red Deer