For all of the instances when governments fail to react, and there are many of them, there are almost as many cases where they overreact to a situation.
The federal government's decision to suspend the Temporary Foreign Worker Program for restaurants is one of those examples.
The TFWP was dragged into the spotlight earlier this month when two Weyburn women went public with claims they had been dismissed from their waitress jobs, the owners could hire foreign workers. The owners of the restaurant have since rebutted their story, saying that the two women were offered their jobs back with reduced hours but refused.
The incident quickly became a national story, and on Thursday the government made the odd decision to suspend the program, which means restaurants cannot hire any new foreign employees while the moratorium is in effect.
In the process of making this knee-jerk reaction, the government has placed the future of many restaurants, particularly here in Saskatchewan, in jeopardy.
It is not a stretch to say that without the TFWP the majority of eateries in Estevan would be closed. It had become almost impossible for local restaurants owners to find employees and the TFWP became a much-needed source of labour. These newcomers to our country were not hired instead of local residents; they were hired because there were no local residents to hire.
Estevan's situation is hardly unique, in fact, it's all too common in Western Canada, which is why the government's decision is so heavy handed and misguided. Some local businesses have already stated that residents had better get used to waiting a long time for their food and paying more for it. That isn't a comment made out of spite, it's a cold reality created by the government's massive overreach.
If Immigration Minister Jason Kenney felt changes were warranted then he should begin an investigation or a study (we all know governments love studies) and fix what needs to be fixed. If there are abuses taking place, close whatever loopholes are allowing them to transpire and create a system that benefits all involved. There was no need to suspend the program and put the financial well-being of business owners throughout the country in jeopardy.
The events in Weyburn have created another unintended consequence and that is to bring trolls of our world out from underneath their bridge. The thinly veiled racist and xenophobic comments have been in ample supply with the majority of people claiming that foreign workers are stealing the jobs of hard-working Canadians. Of course, they forget that foreign workers were hired because there was a short supply of hard-working Canadians.
The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, which has made the dubious claim of being the voice of working people in our province, is one of the many groups to come out against the TFWP and that is their right. The manner in which they did it, however, leaves something to be desired.
In a press release, they state that foreign workers should enjoy the same occupational health and safety and labour standards as full citizens. There is no argument there, but the obvious implication is that businesses in our province are not affording their foreign employees those rights. That is a slap in the face to business owners who, the last time any of us checked, are working people in our province.
No program is perfect, especially one run by government, but for many businesses the TFWP has helped them keep their doors open. The decision to suspend the program places an enormous burden on one segment of the business landscape, the majority of whom have followed the rules. The government needs to lift the suspension, make whatever changes are needed and get out of the way of the business community.
And they need to do it now.
