Canada needs foreigners to grow its economy

World Today

It’s the second largest country in the world geographically but with just 35 million people, Canada needs foreigners with the right skills to grow its economy.

Whether it’s the energy sector, farming, or retail and hospitality, foreign workers are employed in most corners of the economy.

Many possess valuable knowledge or skills, but increasingly, they are filling low-paying jobs that many Canadians could and would do.

McDonald’s Canada is under investigation over alleged abuses of the Temporary Foreign Worker program.

The fast-food chain is accused of turning away Canadian applicants and importing manual labor from the Philippines instead. These workers are often cheaper and easier to fire.

Whistleblowers have exposed a legal underclass: overworked and mistreated.

With unemployment still a big issue for Canada, these allegations couldn’t come at a worse time for the federal government, which is promising sweeping reforms to combat program abuse.

Canada has more video game developer jobs relative to population than any other country in the world.

With a national workforce of 16 and a half thousand people, mostly college-educated, commanding an average salary of 70 thousand U.S. dollars, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are fast becoming hubs for the world’s top industry talent.

Canada finds itself in a delicate situation with stubborn unemployment and a looming skills shortage. Foreign labor is seen as the cause of one and solution to the other. What has disturbed many here is the stark difference in treatment the foreigners receive.

Canada needs foreigners to grow its economy

It's the second largest country in the world geographically but with just 35 million people, Canada needs foreigners with the right skills to grow its economy.