Orchardists definitely want to keep it.
So do restaurateurs.
Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre wants it killed.
So does BC Premier David Eby.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is having it reviewed
And so goes the debate about the Temporary Foreign Worker program.
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The program became big news this month when the leader of the Official Opposition Poilievre called on Carney's Liberal government to permanently eliminate the Temporary Foreign Worker program and immediately end new permits.
Poilievre blames the program, which represents about 2% of the total private sector workforce, for oversaturating the job market, suppressing wages and stealing jobs from Canadians, particularly youth.
Poilievre is willing to see a new standalone program for temporary foreign workers for legitimately difficult-to-fill agricultural jobs.
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That's good news to Okanagan cherry orchardist and president of the BC Cherry Association Sukhpaul Bal.
"It's an important and vital program for orchardists," said Bal.
"I'm happy to hear, even if there were changes to the program, that agriculture would be exempt. We need that assurance because we need temporary foreign workers, particularly at harvest time."
Bal has used the Temporary Foreign worker program for 18 years, bringing in mostly Mexican workers, but lately a few workers from Jamaica and El Salvador, as well.
"This year, I had 65 foreign workers and I wish I'd had 80," he explained.
"It was a record crop for cherries this year and we did the best we could. But we did have to leave a few (of Bal's 90 acres) unpicked at the end because we ran out of time and labour."
Bal ensures temporary foreign workers have visas and work permits and he provides on-site housing for them while they are working for him.
The Temporary Foreign Worker program was introduced to allow employers to bring in labour on a short-term basis to fill jobs when no Canadians could be found to do the job.
That's certainly the case with a lot of agricultural work -- few Canadians want those jobs.
But, Poilievre and Eby want the program finished, with agriculture exempt, for different reasons.
Eby said the Temporary Foreign Worker program is part of Ottawa's flawed immigration policy that's allowing too many immigrants into the country, outpacing the ability of provinces to build schools and housing.
Eby also feels some immigrants are filling up homeless shelters and food banks.
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Poilievre feels too many corporations are relying on cheap foreign labour while Canadians pay the price with high unemployment , suppressed wages and disappearing opportunities for Canadian youth.
"We know why a foreign-owned mega chain (Tim Hortons) wants to be greedy -- it's good for their corporate profits -- but our immigration system doesn't exist to pad their bottom line," said Poilievre.
"Not long ago, young Canadians could gain vital skills in entry-level jobs, earn enough to pay for school and build a future. But the Liberals broke that deal, leading to staggering youth unemployment and heartbreaking stories of graduates sending hundreds of resumes without a single callback."
Restaurateurs use the Temporary Foreign Workers program to hire mostly cooks and because there's not enough Canadians who want to do the job, according to Ian Tostenson, CEO of the BC Restaurant and Foodservice Association.
"The reality is it's very difficult to hire Canadian youth workers," said Tostenson.
"They are not getting hired because they aren't available. They need time off for hockey camp, they need part-time, they need too much flexibility."
Tostenson estimates only 3% of restaurant workers in BC are temporary foreign workers.
But, that 3% is essential for keeping kitchens running and restaurants open.
He also points out they are not cheap labour, but skilled cooks who are paid competitive wages.
"Poilievre is naive, uninformed and playing political games," said Tostenson.
"We can't hire Canadian cooks and chefs, so they come here on two-year work visas, most of them from South Asia and Southeast Asia, many of them with cruise ship backgrounds. They are productive people with a great work ethic."
The restaurant association's plea is to retain the Temporary Foreign Worker program, keep the foreign workers that are already here doing good jobs and make sure the program is responsible going forward because no immigration would hurt the Canadian economy.
The BC foodservice industry generates about $20 billion in economic activity annually, respresenting almost 5% of the province's gross domestic product.
It employs 183,000 people, including 68,000 youth, representing about one in five youth jobs.
BC Premier David Eby weighed in again, demanding the federal government take action because the Temporary Foreign Workers program is failing to prevent abuse and exploitation.
The temporary foreign worker program is failing to prevent abuse and exploitation. The federal government needs to take action.
— David Eby (@Dave_Eby) September 8, 2025
We need an immigration system that protects workers from exploitation, and gives people hope that everyone can build a good life in British Columbia. pic.twitter.com/Bpr3yWhIAX
The Temporary Foreign Worker program has been slammed in reports for the United Nations and Amnesty International.
In August 2024, UN Special Rapporteur Tomoya Obokata released a scathing assessment after touring Canada, warning that the TFW program serves as a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery”. He highlighted systemic exploitation—including debt bondage, wage theft, physical and emotional abuse, and hazardous working conditions—particularly affecting workers from Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica and other Global South countries.The Guardian
Obokata emphasized that employer-specific work permits lock workers into precarious employment, making it difficult for them to report abuses for fear of deportation.theprogressreport.
As a remedy, he strongly urged Canada to provide a pathway to permanent residency for these workers as a concession to alleviate such power imbalances.The GuardianReuters
In January–February 2025, Amnesty International published a detailed report titled “Canada has destroyed me”: Labour exploitation of migrant workers in Canada. The organization called the design of the TFW Program inherently exploitative, violating the right to just and favorable working conditions.Amnesty International CanadaHRD America
Key findings included:
Unlawful wage deductions
Excessive working hours, often without adequate rest or personnel protective equipment
Unsafe or inadequate housing
Physical and emotional abuse, including racist and gender-based violence
Restriction of movement, surveillance, and profound lack of privacy
Racial discrimination in hiring and treatmentHRD AmericaBusiness & Human Rights Resource Centre
Amnesty underlined that these issues are not peripheral; they are structural features of the current system.
Following the UN report, Canada’s Immigration Minister acknowledged the need for reform, especially in the low-wage stream of the TFW program—though he called the term “slavery” inflammatory and cautioned it risked harming fair-treating employers.ReutersThe Guardian
The government has since proposed reforms, including:
Reducing access to the program in certain low-wage sectors
Enhancing compliance and oversight
Yet, critics argue these changes are cosmetic and insufficient without granting a stable, permanent status to workers.Government of CanadaReutersTCFFCA Magazine
