Conservative Finlay Low Wage Immigrant Workers.

[Machjo]

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1169568--walkom-ottawa-s-low-wage-immigration-policy-threatens-turmoil

On Wednesday, Finley journeyed to Alberta to announce that Ottawa will make it easier — not harder — for employers to hire temporary foreign skilled workers.

More importantly, she said Ottawa will allow employers to pay such foreign workers 15 per cent less than the prevailing wage.

Up to now, employers had to pay temporary foreign skilled workers the going rate. If comparable Canadian workers in an area received on average, say, $20 an hour, foreign workers would have to be paid the same.

No more.

The temporary foreign workers program began as a stop-gap measure in 2000, specifically to deal with a shortage of software specialists. But under pressure from employers — particularly in the Alberta oil patch — it has vastly expanded.

I'm all for open borders and letting employers whoever is most qualified for the job, as well as letting the market determine wages. But to legally recognize two separate salary brackets is discrimination pure and simple.

[The_Squid]

Blame the Liberals, I guess. Mulroney's FTA was debated for an election.

Harper's government doesn't have to institute this terrible policy. No need to reach back 20 years to blame someone!

[dre]

Where should the conversation happen?

I dunno. Over the years Iv lost the confidence in our political system and electorate to be able to deal with these kinds of things. Like a boat with a broken engine, I assume we will just float wherever the global economic current takes us.

I think the only chance that we will change course will be born out of crisis.

[The_Squid]

I dunno. Over the years Iv lost the confidence in our political system and electorate to be able to deal with these kinds of things. Like a boat with a broken engine, I assume we will just float wherever the global economic current takes us.

I think the only chance that we will change course will be born out of crisis.

It is not a global economic current.... This is a Harper government policy to lower Canadian wages to benefit multinational corporations.

This is purely a Made in Canada problem.

Edited April 29, 2012 by The_Squid

[eyeball]

It is not a global economic current...

Remember when it was a rising tide?

Now it's a tsunami, and I'm afraid it is global in nature.

[madmax]

Don't look at me. I think the whole idea of temporary workers is ludicrous when we still have high unemployment. We should be training Canadians to do skilled jobs. As for unskilled jobs, well, if they pay more then people will take them. I know I used to.

STOP MAKING SENSE!

Edited April 29, 2012 by madmax

[Michael Hardner]

Do we know if this will apply to every sector?

I Know this won't let Tim Horton's pay less than min. wage but what about in Fort Mac where those workers get 15 or 20 bucks an hour?

Would they be able to get 15% less than that?

Harper must have more motives for this. Undercut unions, maybe fill jobs with temp. foreign workers that aren't being filled now by Canadians......what else?

What else do we know about this? There seems to be little info. Out there.

I'm pretty sure they can bring fast food workers in at minimum wage or even less.

[j44]

I'm pretty sure they can bring fast food workers in at minimum wage or even less.

Will it allow them to pay less than the min. wage or are we just assuming?

I'd like to hear some thoughts on how this fits w Harper's immigration policies in general too. How does it complement or contradict them?

Edited April 29, 2012 by j44

[Michael Hardner]

It is not a global economic current.... This is a Harper government policy to lower Canadian wages to benefit multinational corporations.

This is purely a Made in Canada problem.

I find it strange that we are trying to put the motivation for this on appeasing lobbyists. Harper is an economist of this kind. This is what he does. At least he has enough integrity to economically downgrade jobs in his Western base after it happened in the east.

[Michael Hardner]

Will it allow them to pay less than the min. wage or are we just assuming?

I'd like to hear some thoughts on how this fits w Harper's immigration policies in general too. How does it complement or contradict them?

I think they do have arrangements to pay less for some positions.

[Jack Weber]

I'm all for open borders and letting employers whoever is most qualified for the job, as well as letting the market determine wages. But to legally recognize two separate salary brackets is discrimination pure and simple.

I agree,but two tier wage set ups are happening all over the place...

[The_Squid]

I find it strange that we are trying to put the motivation for this on appeasing lobbyists. Harper is an economist of this kind. This is what he does. At least he has enough integrity to economically downgrade jobs in his Western base after it happened in the east.

This is not brilliant economic policy.... It will allow companies (non-union ones) to hire foreign workers cheaper than Canadians. Companies that already make huge profits. Why is this gov't sticking its nose in the free market by purposely lowering wages?

It also takes money out of the broader econonomy as these temporary workers do not buy new trucks.... Or houses.... They will hoard their money and take it home to their much poorer cou try when they leave. Any skills they gain are also shipped out of the country.

This policy hurts the economy and hurts the middle-class.

[Machjo]

It also takes money out of the broader econonomy as these temporary workers do not buy new trucks.... Or houses.... They will hoard their money and take it home to their much poorer cou try when they leave. Any skills they gain are also shipped out of the country.

This policy hurts the economy and hurts the middle-class.

This part is actually a good thing. Instead of preventing them from working and then having to give them a bunch of money in foreign aid, how about letting come here and earn the money for themselves instead and then take their own hard-earned cash back home. The best part of free trade is that it helps poorer countries the most, if you believe in justice of course.

[bush_cheney2004]

They are not lucky. The Oil is Canada's it isn't like manufacturing it can't move some where else. Canadians should demand to prosper from it. Instead we wont, we will bring in people who will do the work for less driving the prices of our labour down.

And why not, since Canada explicitly solicited and accepted $BILLION$ in foreign investment capital to jump start such projects. Whatsa matta'....is their foreign money OK but their people are not?

[Guest Derek L]

And why not, since Canada explicitly solicited and accepted $BILLION$ in foreign investment capital to jump start such projects. Whatsa matta'....is their foreign money OK but their people are not?

I’m confuzzled, so now immigration is a bad thing? Couldn’t it be said, if we stopped all immigration for a generation and/or ten years we’d decrease unemployment and see wages increase?

Surely then those Quebec students could earn a decent wage picking berries or slinging burgers at McDonalds…..

[Machjo]

I’m confuzzled, so now immigration is a bad thing? Couldn’t it be said, if we stopped all immigration for a generation and/or ten years we’d decrease unemployment and see wages increase?

Surely then those Quebec students could earn a decent wage picking berries or slinging burgers at McDonalds…..

Don't forget many Canadians work abroad too, so then we'd have to find work for all those Canadians sent back to Canada with foreign skills that might not even always be transferable on the Canadian market, then we have to deal with them too. I think it's called tit-for-tat or something of the sort. Ever hear of that when you were in elementary school?

[Battletoads]

Can anyone say race to the bottom?

[Guest Derek L]

Don't forget many Canadians work abroad too, so then we'd have to find work for all those Canadians sent back to Canada with foreign skills that might not even always be transferable on the Canadian market, then we have to deal with them too. I think it's called tit-for-tat or something of the sort. Ever hear of that when you were in elementary school?

But would that necessarily be the case? Would them there Americans kick out all Canadian born entertainers? If so, perhaps CBC would have a greater talent pool to draw from……..

Seriously though, if immigration negatively effects employment numbers and wages, shouldn’t we just stop immigration?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=768h3Tz4Qik

Edited April 29, 2012 by Derek L

[Michael Hardner]

This is not brilliant economic policy.... It will allow companies (non-union ones) to hire foreign workers cheaper than Canadians. Companies that already make huge profits. Why is this gov't sticking its nose in the free market by purposely lowering wages?

The market isn't free if there are foreign workers prevented from working there.

It also takes money out of the broader econonomy as these temporary workers do not buy new trucks.... Or houses.... They will hoard their money and take it home to their much poorer cou try when they leave. Any skills they gain are also shipped out of the country.

This policy hurts the economy and hurts the middle-class.

Creates more profit and lowers the cost of business. Canada benefits from this too, as B_C has pointed out, taking jobs from the US.

[The_Squid]

Don't forget many Canadians work abroad too, so then we'd have to find work for all those Canadians sent back to Canada with foreign skills that might not even always be transferable on the Canadian market, then we have to deal with them too. I think it's called tit-for-tat or something of the sort. Ever hear of that when you were in elementary school?

Canadians don't go to Mexico to work for less pay than Mexicans do!! Big difference.

We have high unemployment but we want to pay less to foreign workers and bring more of them here? Makes no sense whatsoever.

[The_Squid]

But would that necessarily be the case? Would them there Americans kick out all Canadian born entertainers? If so, perhaps CBC would have a greater talent pool to draw from……..

Seriously though, if immigration negatively effects employment numbers and wages, shouldn’t we just stop immigration?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=768h3Tz4Qik

Temporary migrant workers is NOT immigration!

[Guest Derek L]

Temporary migrant workers is NOT immigration!

So, if we stop temporary migrant workers, this would improve unemployment and wage numbers?

[The_Squid]

So, if we stop temporary migrant workers, this would improve unemployment and wage numbers?

More CANADIANS working equals less unemployment. Not hard to figure out.

[Guest Derek L]

More CANADIANS working equals less unemployment. Not hard to figure out.

So less non-CANADIANS working within Canada will equal lower unemployment? Are workers within Canada with working visas or residency considered CANADIANS?

Edited April 29, 2012 by Derek L

[The_Squid]

So less non-CANADIANS working within Canada will equal lower unemployment? Are workers within Canada with working visas or residency considered CANADIANS?

Wow......