Recently, the Trudeau government vowed to crack down on the abuse of a temporary foreign worker program. However, a Star investigation uncovered that the government has been fast-tracking applications by asking processing officers to skip essential fraud-prevention steps.

As of January 2022, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) instructed staff to apply “streamlining measures” to evaluate the legitimacy of applications from employers seeking to hire temporary foreign workers. This move suspended routine checks meant to prevent the program from being exploited by dishonest employers.

Notably, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced changes to the program to limit low-wage foreign workers that employers can hire and encourage the employment of Canadian residents. These changes come amidst concerns raised by experts about the integrity of the program and the potential exploitation of migrant workers.

Experts and frontline ESDC employees have expressed alarm over the expedited processing of applications, leading to concerns about human trafficking and modern slavery within the program. The call for greater oversight and transparency continues as the government navigates the complexities of the temporary foreign worker system.