OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on the Liberals on Wednesday to scrap the temporary foreign worker program, arguing it has caused an employment crisis among young Canadians.
"The Liberals have to answer why is it that they're shutting our own youth out of jobs and replacing them with low-wage, temporary foreign workers from poor countries who are ultimately being exploited," Poilievre told a news conference Wednesday morning in Mississauga, Ont.
"We want Canadian workers to have Canadian jobs. We want to bring back high wages."
Data released by the federal government last month showed 33,722 new visas for temporary foreign workers were issued in the first six months of this year, and about 70,000 more were renewed for workers already in Canada. Canada set a target to admit 82,000 new temporary foreign workers this year.
Poilievre called out fast-food chains he claimed are hiring foreigners over locals. He cited Tim Hortons' use of the TFW program and took aim at Booster Juice over a job posting he said calls specifically for temporary foreign workers. The Canadian Press has asked both companies for comment.
The Conservative leader said his party will be showcasing "the most egregious cases of corporate elites profiting by shutting Canadians out of jobs in favour of low-wage, temporary foreign workers."
He accused the government of creating conditions that frustrate the efforts of young people to start their working lives.
"The time has come for decisive action to stop the Liberals from using our immigration system to pad the pockets of corporate elites and other insiders, at the expense of Canadian jobs," he said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said later Wednesday that he is committed to reducing immigration but is not scrapping the program, as it's popular with employers — particularly in Quebec, where it has provincial support
"That program has a role. It has to be focused in terms of its role, and it's part of what we're reviewing," he told reporters in Toronto on the sidelines of a cabinet retreat.
"It's clear that we can improve our overall immigration policies. We're working on that and we're setting clear goals to adjust."
— with files from David Baxter
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2025.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
