Canada should reform or axe foreign worker visa: British Columbia premier

British Columbia's David Eby urges Ottawa to act on temporary worker scheme as youth joblessness rises to 14.6% and pressure mounts across parties

Canada should overhaul or even end a programme that allows companies to bring in foreign workers, British Columbia’s premier said, fuelling debate about how Prime Minister Mark Carney will reshape immigration policy.

 

Premier David Eby said there were long-standing concerns about abuse in the system, particularly around labour market impact assessments (LMIAs), which employers must obtain before hiring foreign staff.

 

The programme “needs to be either reformed significantly or cancelled,” said Eby at a press conference in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb where the 2021 census recorded that more than 40 per cent of the population were immigrants.

 

Eby said complaints of fraud and the sale of LMIAs in Surrey “have gone on, unaddressed and unpoliced”. Any changes, he added, should balance the needs of farmers and others who “need temporary labour legitimately, while protecting the public of British Columbia.”

 

Bipartisan pressure on Ottawa

 

The remarks from Eby, who represents the left-wing New Democratic Party, show that discontent with the immigration system cuts across party lines. His comments came a day after Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre launched a campaign to scrap the temporary foreign worker programme altogether, arguing it allows businesses to import low-wage labour at the expense of young Canadians.

 

Youth jobs and student visas

 

Eby said the temporary worker system was “a very timely issue to be considered by the federal government” and linked it to the rise in youth unemployment. Canada’s youth jobless rate has grown faster than in other wealthy countries, reaching 14.6 per cent in July. He also drew a connection with international student visas, saying both schemes need to be part of a “grown-up” discussion with provinces about the impact on infrastructure and services.

 

Ottawa’s response so far

 

In his final months in office, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reduced the number of temporary residents allowed into the country but kept the programme intact. Carney has said that while businesses facing tariffs want access to temporary workers, the system “has to be focused”.

 

Eby said he welcomed the prime minister’s initial steps but added that “there’s lots more to do.”