Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - January 2008
The province of British Columbia has signed an agreement with the Philippines, in an attempt to ease the pressures of a critical labour shortage.
The deal, signed this week in Vancouver, is being described as a �two-year memorandum of understanding� [providing for] the recruitment of temporary foreign workers for the tourism, hospitality, retail and construction sectors.�
Colin Hansen, B.C.�s Economic Development Minister, says that the agreement will shorten wait times for temporary work permits and crack down on agencies. There will also be seminars provided to workers in the Philippines to help them prepare for their arrival in B.C. and familiarize them with their rights in Canada.
The labour shortage has been brewing in Western Canada for several years and the government is turning to immigration to ease the crunch faced by employers. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Economic Development, B.C. reports an expected �million new job openings� by 2020, with only 650,000 students graduating. That leaves a 350,000 worker deficit.
B.C. is the second province to enter into a recruitment agreement with the Philippines, Saskatchewan being the first. The Philippines have adopted a �deliberate policy of labour export for over three decades,� and Philippine Labour Secretary Arturo Brion used the term �contract migration� to describe the sharing of labour.
Not everyone is convinced with regards to the agreement. Some Filipino Worker advocates argue that the policy encourages Philippine workers to abandon their families and assert that the government should forego the temporary program in favour of permanent residency options that would allow the whole family to relocate to Canada.
However, the B.C. government says that its target is not to attract permanent workers. The program is specifically designed for temporary labour, willing to come to Canada for a short period of time, have a good experience and send their extra income to family back home.
Government spokespeople claim that B.C. has different programs geared towards the development of permanent migrant workers, including the Provincial Nominee Program, established in 2001, and the Skills Connect Program.
Sources:
B.C Government
http://www.gov.bc.ca/
Globe and Mail
