Federal inspectors this year are on pace to levy record fines against employers for breach of migrant labour regulations, according to figures obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.Steep penalties levied in the first six months of the year followed cabinet complaints that Canadian employers had “gotten addicted” to using the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.Inspectors in the first half of the year levied $3,738,000 in fines for various violations, from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. A total of 19 employers were also banned from the program, from one to five years. In rare cases lifetime bans have been imposed for failure to address abuse or reprisal allegations.The $3.7 million worth of fines levied in six months compared to a total $4.1 million for all of 2024, and $1.54 million for all of 2023. Stricter enforcement followed complaints last October 8 by then-Immigration Minister Marc Miller that Canadian employers were “addicted” to foreign labour.“To some extent the country has indeed gotten addicted to temporary workers,” Miller told Senate Question Period. “Businesses have taken advantage of that. They have leveraged that opportunity..EXCLUSIVE: UCP members propose party vote on Alberta independence.“I think there is some responsibility there."What we don’t want to do I think is over-correct and make sure we are not throwing the country into a recession, that we are not damaging vital industries.”Cabinet this year proposed to cut the migrant workforce by reverting to 2014 regulations that capped employers’ hiring of foreigners at 10% of payroll. Sen. Tony Loffreda (QC) questioned the impact.“Can you speak to us about your consultations with the business community? What are they telling you?” asked Loffreda. “I have spoken to a lot of business associations, chambers of commerce,” replied Miller.“Without a fault all of them ask for more and more temporary foreign workers. But I think the responsibility we have as a country is we can’t get complacent about that."I think to some extent we have gotten complacent.” .Alberta minister Loewen shares water rescue experience.The labour department named dozens of employers fined $50,000 or more for violations: Canadian Nectar Products Inc. of Montague, PEI (fined $212,000)Petro Canada of Grassland, Alta. ($164,000)True North Freight Solutions Inc. of Brampton, Ont. ($150,000)Nosh Café of Edmonton ($146,000)Mehar Cherry Farm Inc. of Edmonton ($135,000)SuperSave Siding and Sundecks Ltd. of Abbotsford, BC ($127,000)Atlantic Canada Nurseries of Wood Islands, PEI ($109,000)1365899 BC Ltd. of Surrey, BC ($105,000)Triumph Produce Ltd. of Cobourg, Ont. ($105,000)Dreamliner Express Ltd. of Calgary ($105,000)Rotisserie Ultimate Buffet Experience Ltd. of Regina ($100,000)Silver Crest Lodge of Grande Prairie, Alta. ($93,000)Gur Minhas Trucking Inc. of Edmonton ($75,000)Alex Visa Immigration Services Inc. of Vancouver ($75,000)Advance Truck & Trailer Repairs Ltd. of Winnipeg ($75,000)Hudson Taphouse & Brew Pub of Victoria ($71,000)LD Trans Line Ltd. of Brampton ($71,000)GRN Pool & Landscape Ltd. of White Rock, BC ($68,000)Event Rental Works of Pemberton, BC ($60,000)Tamarack Freight Ltd. of Edmonton ($60,000)SAS Canadian Motors Ltd. of Mississauga, Ont. ($58,000)Chi Modern Vietnamese Kitchen Ltd. of Vancouver ($53,000)Nhang Singh Trucking Ltd. of Abbotsford ($51,000)Fruits Canada of Montague, PEI ($50,000)
