February 24, 2006 - NEWS RELEASE
Canadian Immigration Policies Making Skills Shortage Worse
Proportion of immigrants with trade skills plummeting
Burnaby, B.C. – Immigration policies that have made it easier for exotic dancers than carpenters to enter Canada have contributed to the current skills shortage facing BC according to the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA).
The ICBA also points to figures from Statistics Canada that show that in 1966, eighteen percent of all immigrants had a trade or technical background. In 2004, that number had plummeted to six percent. “Other industries have benefited from immigration policies that allow foreign workers to enter Canada on a temporary work visa without months of delay and miles of red tape,” said ICBA President Phil Hochstein. “But in the middle of the biggest labour shortage in BC’s history, they make small construction companies jump through endless hoops.”
Hochstein cited the now infamous “Strippergate” case, when the federal government allowed 660 foreign-born exotic dancers into Canada in 1998. All they had to do was provide a letter offering them a job in the industry and prove they were qualified to dance.
Hochstein says the BC construction industry would like the same consideration given the information technology industry – and similar to the one given the strippers – where workers are quickly allowed temporary work visas in response to industry demand.
Small construction firms are being forced to spend thousands of dollars on advertising for new employees - not because it will lead to job applicants - but simply to prove to the federal government there is a shortage of Canadian workers.
“My members are advertising across the country looking for employees, and receive virtually no response,” said Hochstein. “And they are made to do it over and over again, each time they need to recruit temporary foreign workers.”
The ICBA points to a serious shortage of skilled workers in almost all trades including carpenters, plumbers, heavy equipment operators, electricians and painters.
“I think most Canadians will be shocked to learn that for years Canada has placed such little importance on attracting skilled workers,” said Hochstein. “It is a sad, sad legacy of past federal governments.”
Hochstein says since 2004, there has been a 70 percent increase in the number of registered trainees in the province. However, these new trainees have been snapped up by a red-hot provincial construction sector that has grown by 70,000 more employees since 2001.
“We need action now from both the provincial government and the new federal government. It will be a good test to see if they can respond with a streamlined policy that will keep us building and not strangle the construction market in the lead up to 2010.”
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Background information on construction immigration ( 27KB pdf).
For more information, please contact:
Philip Hochstein, ICBA President
Office: 604.298.7795
Cell: 604.880.7700
Email: philip@icba.bc.ca
| ICBA is the voice of BC's construction industry. For further information, or if you have any questions or comments regarding this article, please contact ICBA. |
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