Media Advisory - Temporary Foreign Worker disaster damaging Alberta's
reputation

Human-rights expert to speak at summit/workshop in Edmonton

EDMONTON, Nov. 17 /CNW/ - Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program is a mistake that hurts the reputation Canada and Alberta enjoy internationally, according to a human-rights expert who will speak at a summit and workshop in Edmonton tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 18).

"Canada's temporary foreign worker program is often touted as being a model program by Canadian government officials," says Karl Flecker, director of anti -racism and human rights for the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). The truth is that the TFW program leads to exploitation of migrant workers by unscrupulous labour brokers and employers, countless experiences of workplace abuse, poor housing conditions and a systemic denial of benefits workers are entitled to receive but never see, he says.

"Canada's TFW program is not up for the job to ensure basic human rights are upheld.  The program quite simply fails to ensure adequate workplace protections for those who toil in every single sector of the Canadian economy are in place." 

Flecker is the key speaker at an event, The TFW Disaster: How the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is impacting Alberta's reputation, being staged by the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) in Edmonton tomorrow.

The AFL says the TFW program isn't working for employees or employers. It should be scrapped and replaced by a reformed immigration system that opens more paths to permanent residency and citizenship. The AFL estimates there are more than 65,000 documented foreign workers in the provinces, and tens of thousands more unregistered workers, creating a disposable workforce open to abuse.

Time: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Thursday, November 18^th
Location: Offices of the Alberta Federation of Labour, 10654 - 101 Street, Edmonton

For further information:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour

Cell 780-218-9888