Premier Jim Prentice has assured Albertans that “correcting” the temporary foreign worker program will be a top priority. Prentice recently announced labour policy, including temporary foreign workers, will top his agenda when he get a chance to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The federal government introduced new rules and changes to the program in June to limit the number of foreign workers that large-and-medium-sized companies can hire, making life difficult for business owners, including those in the Lakeland. Temporary foreign worker applications dropped 74 per cent since the new reforms. When fully implemented in 2016, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program reforms are expected to bar the admission of about 8,000 low-paid TFWs in Alberta, relative to last year’s admissions. Prentice also noted Alberta has accounted for almost all of Canada’s job growth yet receives only two per cent of the immigration nominees.
