During an economic downturn, scapegoats are preferred by capital to distract us from our real problems. This thinly-disguised racism is coming about through the modern populist cry against "foreigners", which inevitably means non-whites. Leave it to the Edmonton Sun to be the first to exploit this situation to turn worker upon worker.
The TFW program is racist and exploitative to the point of being just shy of modern slavery. The AFL needs to do more that state "we don't want a witchhunt", but go beyond the borders of Alberta and the mental borders of labour law and exact a real solidarity.
Sound complicated? It will be, but it's the only answer without racism.
Shut the temporary foreign worker program; open up the borders.
--M
Foreign workers taking Canadians' jobs?
By KERRY DIOTTE, LEGISLATURE BUREAU CHIEF
Sat, January 24, 2009
Are foreign workers being allowed to illegally steal jobs from Canadian citizens in Alberta?
The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) is checking out those allegations that come in the wake of a weakening provincial economy and a spate of layoffs.
AFL president Gil McGowan said his organization is probing complaints Canadian citizens are being laid off from Alberta companies that are keeping temporary foreign workers on the payroll - something that's not allowed under federal rules.
"We've had up to 10 calls of complaint on this and we're checking into those concerns," said McGowan, whose association represents 140,000 unionized workers in the province.
While hard figures aren't easily available, McGowan estimates there are about 50,000 temporary foreign workers in Alberta, up dramatically from 8,000 in 2005.
The feds allow the foreign nationals to be employed in Canada in a variety of fields that are said to be in dire need of workers because there aren't enough Canadians to fill the jobs, he told Sun Media.
His organization and others have long contended the feds allow in more foreign workers than Canada needs.
"I don't want to turn this into a witch hunt for temporary foreign workers," McGowan said - but he believes employers must be made to follow the rules of the program.
"If we actually need such workers, we should be bringing them into the country as immigrants not as a disposable class of guest workers. We're essentially creating an underclass of cheap and exploitable workers."
Under federal rules, provinces tell the feds how many professions or fields are allegedly short on Canadian workers. McGowan said Alberta provided the longest list, alleging the province was short of workers in 170 different fields.
The AFL and other labour organizations have long disputed the depth of that need.
McGowan figures there's only actually a shortage of workers in about 20% of those 170 fields.
"The list was dubious at the height of the boom, but it's a complete fantasy now."
The labour organization boss said the AFL will investigate all allegations against companies that break the rules by laying off Canadian citizens while retaining temporary foreign workers.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2009/01/24/8132736-sun.html
