Recently while at the GlobalFest forum on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, I was embarrassed as a Canadian to hear of its many unchecked flaws and abuses. Now I admit I was initially a fan of the plan here in Alberta. It seemed to be a decent solution to regional labour shortages as well as providing a realistic possibility of permanent residency to the folks who would be giving us a hand. Sadly, this has overwhelmingly not been the case.
We are, without any public debate, moving towards a European-like guest-worker system, where low-waged labourers can spend a lifetime as our neighbours doing the jobs no one else wants and yet are never granted the protections of citizenship.
If the Alberta government is still predicting a major labour shortage and is still allowing new temporary workers to arrive, then why have they offered fewer than 3,000 of the 57,000 working in our province permanent residency sponsorship?
Michael Manning,
Calgary
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