The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is calling on the Harper Government to get rid of the temporary foreign worker program because there are many small businesses with jobs going unfilled even in areas of high unemployment.
Federation President Dan Kelly is proposing the federal government adopt a guest worker program with the prospect of permanent residency two years after coming here.
Kelly says the immigration system doesn’t allow small businesses to hire people from outside the country with entry level skills. He argues in order to immigrate to Canada these days, you virtually have to have a PhD at a time when the economy needs workers at all skill levels.
Kelly also hears from his members everyday about how it seems the work ethic is vanishing. One small business owner who runs a fast food restaurant says only one out of every five people who apply for a job will actually show up for the interview.
Kelly also telling us university students who graduate with a debt hanging over their heads of 40 thousand dollars aren’t willing to take jobs that pay 10 dollars an hour but people from other countries are more than willing to do so especially if they get a chance to stay in the country permanently.
