A cashier at work. Photo by UnsplashArticle contentThe federal government’s recent overhaul of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) for food service has prompted predictable outcry from restaurant operators.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentAs of January 2025, new caps limit TFWs to just 10 per cent of a food service business’s workforce, down from 20 per cent or more in recent years, and shorten work permits from two years to one. But this policy shift is not punitive. It reflects an overdue economic recalibration.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentPut plainly, the TFWP in food service has run its course.Article contentThis is a rational policy correction, not regulatory overreach. Youth unemployment in Canada, particularly among those aged 15 to 24, now stands at 14.2 per cent – a sharp indicator that domestic labour is available but being overlooked.Article contentThat’s roughly one in seven young Canadians looking for work but unable to find it. Meanwhile, the sector continues to rely heavily on imported labour for entry-level roles that, with the right conditions, could and should be filled by Canadians.Article contentThe TFWP was designed as a stop gap, an emergency tool for employers unable to find domestic workers. In many industries, such as agriculture and seafood processing, that rationale still holds. But in food service, particularly in urban and suburban markets, it has become something else: a structural labour strategy aimed at suppressing wages, lowering turnover and sidestepping long-term investments in human capital.Article contentArticle contentThe numbers tell the story. In 2021, according to Statistics Canada, about 140,000 temporary residents — many under the TFWP — were employed in accommodation and food services, accounting for 17 per cent of all temporary foreign workers in Canada. That same year, foreign nationals represented roughly 10 per cent of the overall food service workforce. In certain quick-service chains, the concentration was even higher, effectively displacing Canadian youth from traditional workforce entry points.Article contentArticle contentBetween 2018 and 2023, employer approvals for low-wage food service positions through the TFWP surged more than 4,800 per cent. This is no longer a temporary fix, it is institutional dependency.
Sylvain Charlebois: Time for Canadians to serve themselves
