Statement by Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour in response to the 2017 Spring Report of the Auditor General of Canada

OTTAWA, May 16, 2017 /CNW/ - Following the tabling of the 2017 Spring Report of the Auditor General of Canada, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, issued the following statement:

"The Government of Canada's highest priority is putting Canadians first in line for Canadian jobs. We believe the Temporary Foreign Worker Program should only be used as a last resort, when businesses can't find any qualified Canadians to fill a specific job.

We welcome the Auditor General's report, conducted from 2013 through mid-2016, which confirms many of the concerns we have raised about how this program had previously been managed. Today's report validates the need for changes like those that our government has already introduced since being elected.

In December 2016, our government took early action by announcing tough new requirements for employers who are seeking to hire foreign workers. And, in April 2017, we set out our Path Forward Plan for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which will help ensure the Program keeps Canadians first in line for available jobs, stays responsive to the needs of the Canadian job market and protects the rights of vulnerable foreign workers.

We accept the findings of the Auditor General and have already started work on implementing his recommendations.

Over the next year, our government will work with provinces, territories, employers, organized labour and other stakeholders to ensure meaningful consultation on recommended changes to the Program."

Associated Links

2017 Spring Report of the Auditor General of Canada
Government of Canada Statement on 2017 Spring Report
Government of Canada takes early action to improve the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Government of Canada strengthens Temporary Foreign Worker Program through Budget 2017
Backgrounder: The Path Forward Plan for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Mobility Program

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

Matt Pascuzzo, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, [email protected], 819-654-4183; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]