Document Details

As the federal government mulls changes to its troubled temporary foreign worker program, employees at meat processing plants in Brooks and High River are worried their dreams of a future in Canada could be about to evaporate.

“It’s on the minds of everybody,” said Albert Johnson, president of United Food and Commercial Workers local 1118. “These people have come into the country thinking this was a process to get their residency. And now they’re very much aware, and they’re very much concerned, about what’s happening.”

Last month, allegations of misuse of temporary foreign workers led federal Employment Minister Jason Kenney to place a temporary ban on the restaurant industry brining in new foreign workers. More changes are expected soon, and Kenney has repeatedly warned Canadian employers they must do more to attract and recruit Canadians instead of relying on foreign labour.

But on slaughterhouse floors and meat-packing assembly lines across the country, there aren’t enough Canadians to go around. Whether it’s because the jobs are often located in rural areas or because the nature of the work simply turns people off, labour shortages are common.

“Our preference, as always, is to hire Canadians,” said Ron Davidson, spokesman for the Canadian Meat Council. “But the meat industry is constantly searching for workers. It’s intensive, it’s ongoing ... We have hundreds of jobs that are available today.”