British Columbia Premier David Eby has called for the cancellation or significant reform of the temporary foreign worker program. He argues that the current system is detrimental to young Canadians seeking jobs and is straining local services such as food banks and homeless shelters.

Eby made these remarks during a news conference in Surrey, where he highlighted the challenges facing the province. He stated, "The temporary foreign worker program is not working. It should be cancelled or significantly reformed." He emphasized that the immigration system should not exacerbate issues like high youth unemployment and inadequate housing.

Statistics Canada reported that the youth unemployment rate in British Columbia for those aged 15 to 24 was 12.1 percent in July, lower than the national average of 14.6 percent. However, Eby believes that the temporary foreign worker program and the international student program contribute to these high unemployment rates among young people.

Eby pointed out that many individuals using food banks have been in Canada for less than two years, and he noted that homeless shelters are increasingly filled with new arrivals rather than long-term residents. He stated, "We can't have an immigration system that fills up our homeless shelters and our food banks."

The Premier expressed a desire for a collaborative discussion among provinces regarding immigration's impact on critical infrastructure, including housing and education. He welcomed Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent announcement that the program is under review.

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also called for the cancellation of the program, with exceptions for agricultural jobs that are hard to fill. Eby echoed this sentiment, stating that while changes are necessary, protections should remain for farmers who rely on foreign workers.

Eby also raised concerns about potential fraud within the system, particularly regarding the labor market impact assessments required for employers to hire foreign workers. He noted, "Here in Surrey, we see the sale of temporary labour market assessments, temporary farm worker labour market assessments."

In light of these issues, Eby has offered to convene a meeting with interested provinces and the federal government to discuss improvements to the immigration system.