September 3, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the Liberal government to eliminate Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program and stop issuing new permits. The goal, he says, is to free up jobs for Canadians.
“Prime Minister Carney has failed to meet his own already excessive immigration targets and is now on track to issue the highest number of TFW permits ever in a single year,” Poilievre stated. He argues that under the Liberals, too many corporations are relying on cheap foreign labour while Canadians pay the price.
Recent data shows a 7.4% increase in Employment Insurance claims since Carney took office, and nearly 400,000 Canadians have been looking for work for over two years. According to a CIBC report, Canada’s unemployment crisis is matching levels typically only seen during recessionary periods. For example, in July, Ontario had 700,500 people out of work, more than the 684,200 unemployed during the peak of the Great Recession in June 2009.
Meanwhile, youth employment is at its lowest level in over a quarter-century (outside the pandemic). Michelle Rempel Garner, Shadow Minister for Immigration, said the Liberals “broke that deal” where young Canadians could gain vital skills in entry-level jobs.
Poilievre cited companies like Tim Hortons, which have reportedly increased their hiring of TFWs by 1,131% in just four years. He said, “We know why a foreign-owned mega chain wants to be greedy—it’s good for their corporate profits—but our immigration system doesn’t exist to pad their bottom line.”
The Conservatives’ plan would permanently abolish the TFW program, with a separate, standalone program for agricultural labour that is legitimately difficult to fill. For ultra-low-unemployment regions, there will be a transition period of, at most, five years, but no new permits would be issued anywhere in Canada.
“It’s time for Canadian jobs for Canadian workers,” said Poilievre. He urged Prime Minister Carney to immediately enact these reforms to fix the immigration system.
“As Canada’s economy slides into recession… Canadian youth are trapped,” Rempel Garner added. “They can’t buy homes or start families without good-paying jobs, but they can’t get those jobs without experience, lost to competition from temporary foreign labour.”
Loading ...
