Canadians Support Permanent Residence of "Foreign Temporary Workforce"
Most Canadians agree that temporary immigrants should stay in the agricultural sector.
According to a new poll, most Canadians want the temporary workforce in the agricultural sector to become permanent residents.
Nanos Research conducted a random survey from October 28 to November 1 this year, in which 1,039 Canadians over the age of 18 took part.
The results show that more than 8 out of 10 Canadians support a permanent immigration program for temporary foreign workers to stay in Canada. The Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) showed the most support, and the western lowland provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta) showed the least support.
Most Canadians, especially those in British Columbia, agree that a "temporary foreign workforce" is essential to Canada's agricultural sector and that they should enjoy the same support and benefits as other workers.
In addition, more than 8 out of 10 Canadians find federal programs such as the Temporary Foreign Workforce Program and the Seasonal Agricultural Workforce Program very beneficial to Canadian agriculture.
About 97% of respondents believe that the agricultural sector is one of the most important factors in the Canadian economy.
Participants were randomly selected by telephone and surveys were conducted online. In 19 out of 20 cases, the error rate of this survey is negative or positive 3.1%.
The Minister of Immigration points to more routes for temporary residents
According to Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, the federal government is finding more ways to provide temporary residency to temporary residents.
These routes (whose nature is not yet known) will focus on the workforce that contributes to key sectors of the Canadian economy. Especially those who work as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and support workers. In these jobs, there are more intense labor needs.
Corona epidemics (such as travel restrictions) have reduced immigration to Canada. The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) strategy for accepting immigrants during an epidemic is to prioritize applicants currently in Canada. Thus, the federal government is raising immigration targets to more than 401,000 new permanent residents next year, and up to 1.2 million over the next three years.
Canada is currently considering a way for some agricultural workers to stay permanently through the Food-Agriculture Migration Pilot. This pilot is for people who work in the field of meat processing, mushroom production and greenhouse products, as well as the livestock industry. Applications are open until May 14, 2023.
Source: cicnews.ca, January 2021