Olivia Chow, MP

Olivia Chow Defends the Rights of Migrant Workers

    Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Mr. Speaker, Canada brings in 200,000 temporary foreign workers and the government does nothing while their right to join unions is denied. The United Nations has just ruled on a complaint filed by the UFCW that Canada is trampling on the human rights of these migrant workers. Canadians believe it is illegal to exploit workers and deny them right to organize.

    Will the government make respect for human rights a condition for provincial participation in the temporary foreign workers program?

    Mr. Rick Dykstra (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC): Mr. Speaker, this government will take no lectures or direction from the opposition in dealing with the temporary foreign worker program. It is, in fact, a program that has been successful from one side of this country to the other. It puts people to work in circumstances from other countries when we cannot fill positions here in Canada.

    It allows them to help their families, it allows them to help their country, it allows them to lead lives that they would not have been able to had they had to stay in their countries. This is a program that works. Province after province after province is asking us to make this program bigger because of how successful it has been.

    Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the best way to protect vulnerable migrants and help them go after those who exploit them is to let them stay in Canada permanently.

    Migrants are often targeted by crooks and traffickers. Some are sold to the sex trade. I see today the Conservatives are having a press conference on vulnerable migrants. Will the minister commit to providing real protection to the most vulnerable migrants and let them stay in Canada so they can go after those who exploit them?

    Mr. Rick Dykstra (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC): Mr. Speaker, every temporary foreign worker who comes to this country does so under Canadian labour law. It is upheld, it is enforced and it is there to protect those who come to work in this country. If the member has a specific example that she would like to bring forward, I can say that the minister and the ministry will act immediately on it to ensure that no labour law has been broken.

    This program is for our country. This program is for the foreign workers. In fact, some say it is the best foreign aid program we have in this country.