British Columbia Premier David Eby says Canada’s temporary foreign worker program should either be cancelled or undergo major reforms, arguing it contributes to youth unemployment and strains housing and social services.Speaking Thursday after announcing a new school addition in Surrey, Eby linked the program and international student enrolment to what he called “significant fiscal headwinds” in the province, including “very high unemployment rates” among young people.“We can’t have an immigration system that outpaces our ability to build schools and housing, and we can’t have an immigration program that results in high unemployment,” Eby said..Statistics Canada reported that B.C.’s youth unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24 was 12.1% in July, below the national average of 14.6 per cent.Eby said he is prepared to work with other provinces on a “serious, grown-up” discussion about immigration’s impact on infrastructure, such as housing and schools.The issue is also gaining traction federally. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called for cancelling the program, except for hard-to-fill agricultural jobs. Prime Minister Mark Carney said this week that while the program is under review, it “has a role to play.”.Eby acknowledged that Ottawa has taken “good steps to rein in the excesses” but argued further action is needed.Employment and Social Development Canada describes the temporary foreign worker program as a way for employers to fill jobs when qualified Canadians are not available. Temporary foreign workers have been coming to Canada since the 1970s, with numbers rising from 356,000 in 2011 to 845,000 in 2021, according to Statistics Canada.The federal government announced measures last year to reduce those numbers as part of its 2025–2027 immigration plan. The temporary foreign population is projected to decline by about 446,000 in both 2025 and 2026.
