Canadians support ramping down temporary foreign worker program: Poll

Published Sep 10, 2024  •  3 minute read

Workers are seen here at Sunterra Meats in Trochu, Alberta, where temporary foreign workers are key to operations.

New polling shows most Canadians support reductions to the temporary foreign worker program, with concerns over housing and jobs cited as primary reasons.

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In the Angus Reid poll, conducted Aug. 29-Sept. 4, 43% of respondents said they support the federal government’s move to scale back the temporary foreign worker program, compared to 14% who were happy with the program as it was, and 22% who want the program eliminated entirely.

The government’s changes saw a plurality of support from voters of all four major political parties: 54% of Liberal, 44% of NDP, 42% of Bloc Quebecois and 39% of Conservative voters agreed that the program should go ahead in its new, reduced form.

In the midst of Canada’s ongoing affordability and housing crisis, the Trudeau Liberals made an astonishing 180 turn late last month on their immigration policy by enacting limits on the controversial program, largely rejecting applications from cities with high unemployment rates, and limiting employers from hiring only 10% of their current workforce through the program.

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As well, terms of employment for workers hired under the low-wage stream will be reduced to just one year.

Describing the move as another “course-correction” by the Trudeau Liberals, Angus Reid president Shachi Kurl said a number of factors led to the change in sentiment over the contentious program.

“There was a reason, post-pandemic, when the country was going through acute labour shortages to accelerate the number of temporary foreign workers that were coming into the country,” she said.

“But newcomers are experiencing higher rates of unemployment than the national average, and young people have really much higher rates of unemployment — those two things indicated that something had to give.”

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While Canada has already relied on responsible immigration policy to ensure future growth, Kurl said this oversaturation of temporary workers is causing more problems than it’s solving.

Support for the program before the government’s changes sit at 26% for the Bloc, 18% for Liberals, 13% for NDP and 10% for Conservative voters.

Eliminating the temporary foreign worker program entirely was strongest among Conservative voters (34%) followed by 20% of NDP supporters, 10% of BQ, and just 6% of Liberal supporters.

Provincially, respondents from both Ontario and Alberta — two of Canada’s fastest-growing provinces — said the country takes in far too many workers from overseas, followed by 28% in B.C., 27% in Saskatchewan, 31% in Atlantic Canada, 18% in Manitoba, and 16% in Quebec.

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Seventy-five per cent of respondents said the program benefits businesses that use foreign workers, while roughly the same number say foreign workers exacerbate Canada’s housing shortages, while 54% said the program is bad for Canada’s job market.

As well, only 22% felt foreign workers were being treated fairly by their employers — 54% said workers weren’t being treated fairly.

A report issued last month by a United Nations special rapporteur accused Canada’s temporary foreign workers program as being a “breeding ground” for modern slavery, saying TFWs are subject to a “wide range” of abuses and often aren’t made aware of their rights. 

Just under half of Angus Reid respondents said TFWs are being exploited by the Canadian government.

Fifty-two per cent said they don’t support the temporary foreign worker program being a pathway towards Canadian citizenship, while only 36% said they do.

The poll was conducted among 1,602 members of Angus Reid’s online panel. While margins of error don’t apply to online panels, an equivalent probability sample would have a margin of error of +/- 2%, 19 times out of 20.

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