Foreign workers are critical to Alberta agriculture, but labour recruitment specialist says producers could do a better job of attracting local workers
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is making headlines for the wrong reasons after a contractor to the Royal Bank used it to outsource the work of bank employees.
But the program has been a boon for agriculture, attendees at the recent Alberta Farm Fresh Producers conference heard.
Farm workers are in short supply for a host of reasons, said Al Dooley, agricultural labour recruitment specialist with Alberta Agriculture.
Many young Canadians don’t want to move to rural areas, the work is physically demanding, doesn’t pay as well as the oilpatch, and may not offer chances for advancement. As well, primary agriculture is exempt from a number of employment standards, and Workers’ Compensation Board coverage is voluntary in many agriculture sectors, said Dooley.
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“These factors are not game changers, but they’re not necessarily strengths either,” he said.
However, farming is attractive to those who like outdoor, physical work, and the local food movement has sparked a lot of interest in growing farm in young people — and farm employers should capitalize on that, he said.
“Agriculture does a poor job of selling itself as something positive,” said Dooley.
But if those who can’t find suitable candidates, farm employers can turn to the temporary foreign worker program. They’ll have to advertise on jobbank.gc.ca, the federal employment website, and one other medium (such as newspapers or a website) for a minimum of 14 days. They can then submit Labour Market Opinion application (a form that details the hiring search) to Service Canada. The form is necessary for most types of foreign worker hires, said Dooley.
Between 800 and 1,000 people, typically from Mexico or the Caribbean, come to Alberta each year under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, which was created in the 1970s. They can stay for up to eight months, and employers must pay for their transportation; provide approved housing, private health insurance, and WCB coverage; and pay no less than the minimum wage.
Another avenue is the ‘Agriculture Stream,’ which can be used to bring more skilled workers in certain sectors (grain production is excluded). They can stay up to 24 months and skilled workers are eligible to apply for permanent residency.
There are 5,000 spots available in Alberta each year under the Immigrant Nominee Program.
“Basically what this program does is speed up the whole process of becoming a permanent resident,” said Dooley. “In some cases, it might take five or six years and this can speed it up to two years.”
