New penalties announced for employer abuse of foreign worker programs

Ottawa – July 13, 2015 – Employment and Social Development Canada has announced new penalties for Canadian employers that abuse foreign worker programs such as the International Mobility Program (IMP) and the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP).

Employers that do not adhere to program specifications and conditions could be subject to fines ranging from $500 to $100,000 per violation up to a maximum of $1 million in a one-year period. They may also face bans of one to ten years as well as expulsion from a program for serious violations.

"These new penalties might help," says UFCW Canada National President Paul Meinema, "but there is still much more that needs to be done to provide migrant workers with the dignity, respect and legal protections they deserve while working in Canada.”

The changes take effect on December 1, 2015.