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 ensuring the health, safety, and protection of temporary foreign workers, and remains committed to working with P/Ts and other stakeholders in this area.

The government supports enhancements to housing standards for temporary foreign workers.

Many temporary foreign workers in the agricultural sector rely on their employer for housing and often face unique economic and social vulnerabilities. As such, accommodations are an important area of focus for the program to ensure that vulnerable workers are well supported.

In recent years, stakeholders have been consulted extensively on this issue, to advance work on establishing additional safeguards to accommodations measures.

This work helps ensure that P/T housing standards are met as a condition for participation in the Program.

If Pressed (Spécificité pour l’adminstration du programme au Québec / 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. We will continue to work with the Government of Quebec in accordance with the Canada-Quebec Accord.

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 would 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 to 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 the work done and feedback received, 12 essential health and safety requirements have been developed which are focused on addressing the most pressing, and non-negotiable, health and safety concerns related to employer-provided accommodations to temporary foreign workers. Elements included are the availability of potable water and clean air, overcrowding, and the proximity of living quarters to hazardous material, to name a few.

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