Alberta doubling up on federal foreign worker oversight in new provincial bill

Alberta introduced legislation requiring employers to register with the province before accessing federal temporary foreign worker programs.

The Alberta government has introduced immigration legislation, doubling up on existing federal regulations, that will require employers to register with the province before accessing Ottawa’s Temporary Foreign Worker Programs (TFWP).

“Protecting Alberta’s reputation as a premier destination to work is key for us, and also making sure that employees who are coming here to work are doing so under the proper terms and conditions, and they’re not being misled by employment recruiters and by immigration consultants,” said Joseph Schow, Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration, at a press conference Wednesday.

Employers are already required to register with the federal government to be eligible for the TFWP.

“While there is a registration and it will add steps for employers and will duplicate some work, we expect that this will be a process that’s done seamlessly, transitioned in a way that doesn’t slam everything on to businesses all at once,” said Schow.

He added that the provincial registration will allow Alberta to keep track of how many foreign workers are in the province or how many businesses are recruiting them.

“The federal government doesn’t share that information with us readily, so this will also give us more data about the kinds of jobs that are going to temporary workers so we can better tailor our understanding to address these employment issues in Alberta,” said Schow.

A licencing system for immigration consultants and foreign worker programs will also be established in an effort to reduce fraud and exploitation including fake job offers, illegal fees and misrepresentation.

The minister would not specify which industries are reporting such abuses.

“This is about broadly addressing immigration consultants and recruiters across the province to make sure everyone is compliant,” said Schow. “I’m not about to get up here and go full Jose Canseco and start naming names.”

He did say the ministry has heard reports of job offers being sold to foreign nationals and providing false, misleading and incomplete information to government officials.

While the legislation aims to address recruiters and consultants, Schow said the bill will also address unemployment in Alberta.

“What this comes down to is addressing things like unemployment in Alberta, making sure that Albertans have first crack at Alberta jobs, and also making sure that we are addressing the unemployment rate that we’ve seen among youth, particularly with entry level positions,” said the minister.

If passed, the bill will allow for faster enforcement and stronger penalties and increase transparency in hiring.

Paul Brandt, chair of the Alberta Centre to End Trafficking in Persons, said the legislation is an “important step to protect newcomers.”

“By holding employers, recruiters and consultants accountable, Alberta is sending a clear message that mistreatment of vulnerable people coming here to work will not be tolerated,” said Brandt in a statement.

A formal complaints and review process will also be put in place for cases where an employer, foreign worker recruiter or immigration consultant is believed to have breached the act.

Prohibited activities the act aims to address include fraudulent job postings, paid-for job offers and collection of unauthorized fees, and actions that take advantage of a worker’s inexperience, fear, discomfort or lack of knowledge in the immigration system.