Toronto, October 24, 2024 – The rush to make massive changes to Canada's permanent immigration levels and the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program have many small business owners' heads spinning. And while it is entirely appropriate to turn the immigration dial up or down based on the needs in the labour market, any huge swings hold significant implications for employers, workers and the economy.
CFIB is already receiving panicked calls from small business owners, including many who are heartbroken to have to say goodbye to their foreign workers who are already in Canada and whose visas are soon to expire. Others are telling us the new skilled temporary worker prevailing wage level requirements do not reflect the reality of a small business and will mean their firms will struggle to survive. Earlier decisions to reduce access to lower skilled TFWs will also have a major impact on the ability of small firms to build the teams they need to put their products or services to market.
The dramatic cut to permanent immigration levels too is troubling for Canada's employers. Yes, the unemployment rate has ticked up in recent months, but there are still 379,000 persistent vacancies in the private sector. And while we are experiencing housing pressures right now, any look at Canada's demographics reveals we will struggle to maintain a strong workforce without robust immigration.
These decisions hold huge implications for small business owners, Canadian workers as well as permanent immigrants and temporary workers. A restaurant owner who can’t find a cook ready and willing to work in their community will not have work for the Canadians who may work in the front of the house. We need to rethink many of these recent changes and be ready to turn the dial back up whenever and wherever needed.
- Dan Kelly, President, CFIB
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, CFIB
647-464-2814
public.affairs@cfib.ca
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 97,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.