P.E.I. to implement new protections for temporary foreign workers in April

A farmer works a potato field in North Tryon, Prince Edward Island on Thursday, July 13, 2000. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

The Prince Edward Island government will implement new rules aimed at protecting temporary foreign workers and regulating recruiters this spring.

The first phase of the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act will go into effect on April 1, according to a news release from the province. It will offer new rights for workers while the second phase will launch an employer registry and administrative penalties.

Under the act, recruiters and employers will not be allowed to charge fees and expenses for services to foreign workers. They will also be prohibited from:

-providing false or misleading information about housing, employment, immigration, federal and provincial laws, and recruitment services

- taking possession of a temporary foreign worker’s passport or other official documents (they can take them briefly to copy or record information, but must return them promptly)

-misrepresenting employment opportunities, including duties, wages, benefits and length of employment

-threatening workers with deportation or any other action for which there is no lawful cause

Recruiters who help employers in P.E.I. find foreign workers must be licensed by July 1. People without licences could be fined up to $5,000.

A recruiter licence is valid for three years and requires a $10,000 security deposit and a $100 fee.

People do not need a recruiter licence to:

-recruit for an employer or for a job in their own business

-recruit a family member

-act on behalf of a government

-act on behalf of the University of Prince Edward Island, Holland College or College de l’Ile

Last summer Tomoya Obokata, the United Nations special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, released a report calling Canada’s temporary foreign worker program a “breeding ground for modern slavery.”

Last April the P.E.I. government launched the Temporary Foreign Worker in Agriculture Housing Improvement program, which provides grants worth up to $15,000 for eligible farms to improve living quarters for temporary foreign workers.

For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.