Opening Remarks for The Hon. Marco E.L. Mendicino P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI) - May 22, 2020
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Introduction
Mr. Chair and members of the committee, good morning.
Thank you for this opportunity to appear and answer questions about measures to support temporary foreign workers in Canada’s agricultural and agri-food sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In partnership with other departments and agencies, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has taken a number of important measures to sustain this critical component of Canada’s economy.
To mitigate the negative effects of travel restrictions on Canada’s productivity and food security, the Government has added targeted exemptions to facilitate the admission of temporary foreign workers who are making important contributions to our country, especially now.
The permit program under which most temporary workers come to Canada is administered jointly by my department and Employment and Social Development Canada.
The full operation is a collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and other departments, as well as industry stakeholders and provinces and territories.
IRCC is principally responsible for the issuance of work permits to Temporary Foreign Workers, and the supporting regulatory framework is under my purview through the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
Temporary Foreign Workers
- Since the beginning of the crisis, the Government has prioritized work permit processing for critical occupations, including those in the agriculture and agri-food sectors.
- To safeguard the continuity of trade, commerce, health and food security for all Canadians, we have implemented an exemption to our travel restrictions to allow these workers to enter Canada, so that our farms and food processing facilities can continue to provide for Canadians.
- In April, roughly 11,000 temporary foreign workers arrived in Canada on charter flights to work in our agriculture and food industry. That’s nearly 22,000 through to the end of last month, compared with about 25,500 at the end of April in 2019.
- While we are facilitating the entry of temporary workers into Canada, further supports are required once they arrive and the Government has made progress there as well.
- On April 13, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced $50 million to help all food production and processing employers put in place the measures necessary to follow the mandatory 14-day quarantine period required of all workers arriving from abroad.
- Also, a few weeks ago, the Government announced an initial investment of $252 million in Canada’s farm and food processing sectors. This is part of an ongoing – and unprecedented – package of relief funding designed to help Canadians at this difficult time.
- This package will provide support for the farmers, food businesses, and food processors who provide essential services to Canadians every day by ensuring a safe and reliable food supply. We will continue to work with provinces and territories to support farmers and producers during this time.
- For workers who were already in Canada and have been impacted by COVID-19, we’ve introduced additional strategies to address status restoration and timelines for documentation.
- On May 12, my department announced a new public policy that cuts the time it takes to for a temporary foreign worker to start a new job from what can often take 10 weeks or more, down to 10 days or less.
- This will allow temporary workers who are in Canada with an employer-specific work permit - who, for example need to change their job due to restructuring or lay off - to quickly change employers when they find a new job. It’s a win for workers and for employers.
Regulations
- The Government is working very closely with employers of TFWs to ensure the 14-day quarantine period is respected once workers arrive in Canada, and appropriate accommodations and provisions made available to allow workers to do this.
- To help enforce these new requirements across the board, a package of regulations came into force on April 20.
- Employers have a responsibility for the health of their workers as well as to public health. Employer associations continue to work collaboratively with the Government to figure out how they can help fulfil both.
- Anyone authorized to enter Canada temporarily and who fails to follow an isolation order could be found inadmissible, issued a removal order, and barred from returning for one year.
- Failing to comply with the new employer compliance conditions could result in a range of penalties, including monetary penalties of up to a $1 million and bans from hiring foreign
- In addition to the measures we’re taking in response to the immediate effects COVID-19, we continue to plan for the future.
Agri-Food Pilot
- Just last week, IRCC opened applications under the Agri-Food Pilot.
- Over the past several years, industries such as meat processing, mushroom and greenhouse production, and livestock raising have experienced ongoing difficulty in finding and keeping employees.
- The Agri-Food Pilot aims to attract and retain workers in these industries by providing them with an opportunity to become permanent residents.
- As we plan to re-launch our economy after the pandemic, these workers will play an important part in getting Canada back to business.
- This is a 3-year pilot that will test an approach to help employers in these areas fill ongoing labour needs for full-time, year-round employees.
- A total of 2,750 applications will be accepted annually with an estimated 16,500 new permanent residents landing throughout the pilot, including family members.
Conclusion
Mr. Chair, we have made exceptions to the travel restrictions to allow foreign workers to enter Canada because we recognize their vital importance to our economy, including food security for Canadians and the success of Canadian food producers.
Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, and I am happy to answer questions.
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