Question Period Note: LABOUR IN THE AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD SECTOR

Q1 – How is the Government reforming the Temporary Foreign Worker Program? Q2 – What is the Government doing to ensure that Temporary Foreign Workers remain available to the agriculture and agri-food employers who need them, despite the reduced Temporary Resident admissions? Q3 – How is the Government addressing labour shortages? Q4 – What is the Government doing to facilitate transitions to permanent residency for agricultural workers? Q5 – What is the Government doing to protect temporary foreign workers?

R.1 - The Government intends to improve the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to reduce fraud, address compliance concerns, and help limit the number of temporary residents. The Government will enforce the consistent application of the cap on Temporary Foreign Workers and apply a stricter more rigorous oversight.

Last year, the Government began refusing to process Labour Market Impact Assessments in metropolitan areas with unemployment rates of 6% or higher. The cap on Temporary Foreign Workers was further reduced to 10% and the maximum duration of work permits for workers in the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program was reduced from two years to one. Primary agriculture and food processing occupations were exempted from the refusal to process and the cap reduction.

The Government is working to implement a new foreign labour program for agriculture and fish processing, tailored to the unique needs of these employers and workers. Consultations with stakeholders on this commitment are ongoing and analysis of the feedback received is currently underway. R.2 - The Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s main goal is to assist employers in filling their temporary skills and labour requirements when qualified Canadians and permanent residents are not available.

Under the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, seasonal workers who enter and leave Canada within the same year (e.g., most seasonal primary agriculture and seasonal low-wage occupations in Canada for less than 270 days) are excluded from temporary resident targets. R.3 - Vacancy rates in the agriculture and agri-food sector were historically low in 2024. Budget 2025 includes an International Talent Attraction Strategy and Action Plan to position the immigration system to meet strategic labour market needs. The International Talent Attraction Strategy will focus on francophone talent and highly skilled professionals in key sectors of the Canadian economy but does not have direct linkages to the agricultural sector.

The Foreign Credential Recognition Action Fund announced in Budget 2025 will also help those who have the education and skills we need. Individuals will also have their credentials recognized and be able to fully contribute to the Canadian economy.

The Government is working to implement a new foreign labour program for agriculture and fish processing, tailored to the unique needs of these employers and workers. Consultations on this commitment are ongoing and analysis of the feedback received is currently underway.

Provinces and territories are also taking action to address their workforce needs, with various initiatives underway. Some of the $2.5 billion in cost-shared funding made available through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership can be used for labour and skills initiatives. R.4 - Budget 2025 proposes to undertake a one-time measure to accelerate the transition to permanent residency of up to 33,000 skilled temporary workers who are already contributing to communities and working in Canada in specific in-demand sectors, with a focus on those in rural areas.

In addition, other programs available to agri-food workers include federal high-skilled programs managed by Express Entry and regional economic immigration programs such as the Provincial Nominee Program, which received an increased allocation through the Immigration Levels Plan 2026-208, the Atlantic Immigration Program, and the Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots will help rural and Francophone minority communities attract and retain newcomers with the right skills to help their regions. R.5 - While the vast majority of our farmers are known to care for the well-being of their workers, it is essential that every foreign worker finds themselves in a working and living environment that is safe, healthy and dignified. The Government is working in partnership with provinces and territories to ensure the continued improvement of the program to better support and protect temporary foreign workers.
The Government also introduced open work permits for vulnerable workers for temporary foreign workers who are being abused or at risk of being abused in relation to their job in Canada. To better protect workers and address concerns of wage suppression, employers are required to annually review temporary foreign workers’ wages to ensure they reflect increases to prevailing wage rates.

All workers in Canada deserve safe, healthy, and dignified working conditions. Mistreatment or abuse of temporary foreign workers – or any worker – is unacceptable and should never be tolerated. Ensuring the health and safety of temporary foreign workers and that they are free from any form of abuse while in Canada is a key priority.

The Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program

• The TFW Program aims to assist employers in filling their temporary skills and labour requirements when qualified Canadians and permanent residents are not available. The TFW Program is jointly administered by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
• Agricultural employers are the highest volume users of the program. Most TFWs in the sector are hired in low-wage occupations such as general farm workers, industrial butchers and fish plant workers. There are different streams under the TFW Program which have different requirements and rules, but primary agriculture broadly uses the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) stream, while food and beverage processing uses the low-wage stream.
• The TFW Program requires employers to obtain a positive or neutral Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) which confirms that the employment of a TFW does not have a negative impact on the Canadian labour market. The two key components required for hiring through the TFW Program are (1) LMIA issued to employers by ESDC and (2) eligibility to receive a work permit as determined by IRCC.

Reforming the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

• In August 2024, the Government noted its intention to reduce fraud, address compliance concerns, and help limit the number of temporary residents by implementing tightening measures on the use of the TFW Program.
• As of September, 2024, the Government is no longer processing LMIAs in metropolitan areas with unemployment rates of 6% or higher. The cap on TFWs as part of the total workforce in the Low-wage stream of the Program was reduced to 10% and the maximum duration of work permits will be reduced from two years to one.
• Primary agriculture and food processing occupations were exempted from the refusal to process and food processing employers maintained a 20% cap on TFWs but are subject to the reduced employment duration.
• Budget 2022 committed ESDC and IRCC, with support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC), to develop a new Foreign Labour Program for Agriculture and Fish Processing under the TFW Program. The new Stream aims to streamline the various streams of the program, enhance worker protections, and reduce the administrative burden for employers.
• Consultations that included engagement sessions and a paper-based process were completed in 2024-2025. ESDC and IRCC are currently analyzing the feedback received with the aim of maintaining ongoing engagement and providing stakeholders with a summary report.
• No final determinations on the way forward have been made and a phased implementation plan will be shared with stakeholders in advance of any reforms.

Immigration Levels Plan 2026-2028
• Under the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, targets under the TFW Program will be reduced from 82,000 this year to 60,000 in 2026, with a further notional reduction to 50,000 in both 2028 and 2029. Under the Plan, seasonal workers who enter and leave Canada within the same year (i.e., nearly all SAWP TFWs) are excluded from Temporary Resident targets.
• Permanent Resident targets remain constant over the entire 2026-2028 period at 380,000 down from 395,000 in 2025 while increasing the share of economic migrants from 59% to 64%. Most notably for the agricultural sector, the Provincial Nominee Program targets have been increased from 55,000 in 2025 to 91,500 in 2026.
• Budget 2025 also proposes to undertake a one-time measure two-year initiative (in 2026 and 2027) to fast track permanent residence for skilled temporary workers who are already contributing to communities and working in Canada in specific in-demand sectors, with a focus on those in rural areas.

Additional Permanent Immigration Pathways

• Category-Based Selection under Express Entry – In February 2025, new Express Entry rounds were announced to respond to changing economic and labour market needs within Canada. Agriculture and agri-food occupations remain a priority.
• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – Under PNPs, Provinces and Territories have the ability to create dedicated streams based on their economic needs.
• The Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots were launched in January 2025 to help rural and Francophone minority communities attract and retain newcomers with the right skills to help their regions.
• The Atlantic Immigration Program was launched as an employer-driven program in January 2022 and aims to attract skilled immigrants to Atlantic Canada to address demographic and economic needs and continue to increase retention in the region.
• The Agri-Food Pilot, which let experienced non-seasonal workers in specific agri-food positions immigrate permanently to Canada, ended on May 14, 2025, and cannot be extended beyond this date. Some stakeholders have called for a permanent pathway for the agricultural sector.

Worker Protections
- The Government has committed to establishing minimum federal housing standards and requirements for TFWs. During summer 2025, ESDC conducted an Accommodation Compliance Review which included random inspections focused on employer-provided accommodations.
- In 2022, regulatory amendments were made to the Immigration Refugee Protection Regulations to ensure TFWs are aware of their rights while in Canada.
- In 2019, The Government also introduced open work permits for vulnerable workers, for temporary foreign workers who are being abused or at risk of being abused in relation to their job in Canada.

• The agricultural workforce of the future needs the right mix of skills, youth, new entrants, and under-represented groups. A number of programs support the sector, including the Youth Employment and Skills Program and AgriDiversity Program.

• International workers will continue to be an important part of the agricultural workforce, particularly given the labour needs of rural and remote communities. For example, the Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots offer pathways to permanent residence to workers who want to work and settle in rural and more remote communities.

• We are committed to strengthening the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to improve worker health and safety while helping employers meet their workforce needs. Work on a new foreign labour program for agriculture and fish processing is currently underway.