Prince Edward Island has decided not to participate in the federal initiative that allows rural employers to hire a higher number of low-wage temporary foreign workers. The province made this choice despite Ottawa’s announcement to temporarily increase the quota of low-wage TFWs for rural employers in other provinces and territories due to ongoing labor shortages.
Prince Edward Island officials stated that after evaluating the situation and considering the needs of local employers, the province concluded that temporary measures were unnecessary at the current time. This decision was conveyed to CBC News by Prince Edward Island in a statement.
Louis-Philippe Gauthier, the Atlantic vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, expressed disappointment over the province’s choice. He highlighted the difficulty faced by rural employers, particularly in accommodation and food services, in attracting local workers to fill available positions.
According to federal data, approximately 14 employers in Prince Edward Island, mostly in accommodation and food services, would have been impacted by the federal measure, affecting around 46 positions. The province engaged with potentially affected employers during the review process and explored alternative workforce solutions, including utilizing existing permanent immigration pathways for year-round positions that meet program requirements.
Gauthier emphasized the essential role of temporary foreign workers in sustaining businesses, especially in sectors like restaurants and customer service. He stressed that migrant workers have become indispensable for maintaining regular business operations and that their absence could strain small and medium-sized businesses already struggling with recruitment and retention challenges, particularly for entry-level and seasonal roles.
The decision of Prince Edward Island was noted to potentially exacerbate the difficulties faced by various industries, including tourism, hospitality, seafood processing, agriculture, manufacturing, and retail. Gauthier also debunked the notion that increasing wages alone would resolve the labor shortage issue, citing multiple factors such as demographic shifts and changing job preferences contributing to the continued need for TFWs.
Joe Byrne, from the Migrant Worker Resource Centre at P.E.I.’s Cooper Institute, supported the province’s decision, suggesting that fewer migrant workers could lead to fewer vulnerable workers. He advocated for reforms in the closed work permit system to provide more stability and flexibility to migrant workers, allowing them to build more secure lives in rural communities.