Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House yet again to raise serious concerns about the temporary foreign worker program on behalf of people in Alberta.

On April 1, the Minister of Employment and Social Development responded to my question in the House that no Canadian workers in the oil sands had lost their jobs to temporary foreign workers, and that if so, all were immediately rehired.

As I was informed by the ironworkers, this was patently untrue. On April 28, I wrote to the minister seeking more detailed information on the action by his department in the matter of the layoff of 65 Canadian ironworkers at the Imperial Oil Kearl project site.

As is evident from the information provided to the minister by the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Ironworkers local 720, Canadian workers were in fact replaced by less qualified temporary foreign workers, a violation of the law, and while some of the Canadian workers did eventually find other employment, many did not. One such person was an aboriginal apprentice.

Regardless, the layoffs were illegal.

Three hundred Canadian workers reportedly were displaced as well at the Husky Energy Sunrise project under similar circumstances. The obvious question is, what enforcement action has been taken?

Five months have passed, and the minister has not had the courtesy to even reply to my letter. The displacement of available highly qualified Canadian workers by temporary foreign workers continues to be a recurring problem not just in the oil sands but across Alberta. Both the previous accelerated temporary worker program and the pilot project for Alberta, later extended, removed any obligation for a labour market analysis or proof of labour shortage.

Recent reports, including reports by the C.D. Howe Institute and the Parliamentary Budget Officer, raise serious problems regarding the reliability of labour shortage data. These incidents suggest problems also exist for skilled worker employment data. This is being verified by the number of complaints I continue to receive from Canadian skilled tradespeople who are unable to get a job, let alone an interview.

Serious questions are also being raised about the certification process for temporary foreign workers for skilled trades, compared with the process for Canadian workers who have invested time and money in gaining their professional tickets.

Here are the questions that I wish to put today to the House.

Which specifically designated federal officers are mandated to inspect and enforce the temporary foreign worker program?

More specifically, which federal officers are mandated to inspect and enforce the temporary foreign worker program for the oil sands, and in what numbers?

Third, who is being held accountable and liable for compliance with the temporary foreign worker legislation? Is it the labour brokers, the operators, or the owners?

At what juncture are temporary foreign employment brokers paid for temporary foreign workers when they bring them into Canada?

What new measures, beyond increased penalties, is the government taking to ensure better government oversight to identify, track, and respond to violations and to prevent abuses?

Linda Duncan

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