Question Period Note: RAISING HOUSING STANDARDS IN QUEBEC FOR FOREIGN WORKERS

As reported in an article on June 10, 2024, Quebec is seeking to amend housing standard regulations for temporary foreign workers.

• The Government of Canada recognizes that safe accommodations are critical in helping ensure the health, safety, and protection of temporary foreign workers, and remains committed to working with stakeholders in this area.
• In recent years, stakeholders have been consulted extensively to advance work on establishing additional safeguards to accommodations measures.

• Laws and standards tied to housing generally fall under the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories. This is why, under the TFW Program, employers in primary agriculture must have accommodations inspected by those authorities before a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) can be issued.

• The Government will continue working with provinces and territories to establish enhanced safeguards to ensure housing requirements are met whenever foreign workers are living in employer-provided accommodations.

• An article posted on June 10, 2024, by the Devoir in Quebec has leaked some proposed changes to Quebec regulations that would eliminate the use of bunk beds and set the maximum number of workers per bedroom (between 2-4).

• Employer-provided accommodations requirements under the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program is a complex, multi-jurisdictional issue, and work is underway with provinces and territories (P/Ts) to introduce a more consistent and reliable process for annual employer-provided accommodations inspections.

• Accommodations standards are under the jurisdiction of P/Ts, or local authorities. This means that the federal government cannot set or directly enforce housing standards, including for employer-provided accommodations for temporary foreign workers.

• While most employers take the health and safety of temporary foreign workers seriously, there are instances where workers are found to be living in poor conditions, despite federal and provincial requirements in this area.

• Many temporary foreign workers in the agricultural sector rely on their employer for housing, and often face unique economic and social vulnerabilities related to their low wages, their restricted immigration status, and potential language barriers.

• Employer-provided accommodations under the TFW Program have been the subject of several consultation processes, such as the 2020 Consultation captured by the 2021 ‘What We Heard’ Report, as well as the 2022 Ministerial Roundtable. As a result of this work and the feedback received, 12 essential health and safety requirements have been developed. These requirements are focused on addressing the most pressing and non-negotiable health and safety concerns related to employer-provided accommodations for temporary foreign workers. Certain elements focus on the availability of potable water and clean air, overcrowding, and the proximity of living quarters to hazardous material, to name a few.

If Pressed ( Specificity for the administration of the program in Quebec)

In Quebec, the TFW Program is jointly administered with le Ministère de l’immigration, de la francisation et de l’intégration.

The Government of Canada also recognizes that housing standards are a provincial responsibility. The Province of Quebec can establish rules and requirements for employers within that jurisdiction.

We will continue to work with the Government of Quebec in accordance with the Canada-Quebec Accord to support the development of essential health and safety requirements for temporary foreign workers