The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) lauded an announcement this week to establish a Recognized Employer Pilot (REP) aimed at addressing labour shortages and protecting employees such as Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) from workplace abuse. However, the Alliance urges Ottawa to do more \u2013 and demands the Government of Canada to specifically crack down on employers in the trucking sector who operate under the corrosive scheme\u00a0known as Driver Inc, which robs truck drivers of their rights under the Labour Code.<\/p>\n
The three-year pilot, announced\u00a0by Randy Boissonnault, the newly-named Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages,\u00a0is set to begin this September.<\/p>\n
CTA, which has been requesting a shift in a similar direction for the TFW program, says the introduction of REP is a positive step to begin addressing labour shortages and reducing red tape for recognized employers. However, the pilot\u2019s effectiveness in protecting foreign workers from abuse in the trucking sector will rely upon the criteria being used to qualify as a recognized employer, and must be supported by a rigorous audit and oversight\u00a0regime to ensure its intended outcomes are achieved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trucking industry, like many sectors of the economy, has a significant labour shortage, and the need to recruit more Canadians and foreign workers to our sector remains imperative,\u201d said CTA President Stephen Laskowski.\u00a0\u201cToday\u2019s announcement will assist the trucking industry and the supply chain in stabilizing the distribution networks of multiple sectors of our domestic economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut access to foreign labour in trucking through the TFW program or other immigration programs should be restricted to a recognized employer program that ensures that labour compliance is strictly adhered to by all participating companies,\u201d he said. \u201cTo certify the legitimacy and effectiveness of this program, the Government of Canada must use a robust auditing system that ensures that all firms are complying with the law and workers are protected from scams like Driver Inc.\u201d<\/p>\n
Entry into REP will allow for a streamlined application process for employers, with Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) validity for 36 months, and recognized status on Canada\u2019s Job Bank to help recruit potential workers, amongst other benefits. It is being reported that the agricultural sector will be allowed to participate in the pilot beginning in September 2023, with other sectors following in the New Year.<\/p>\n
Although CTA has not seen the complete details of how employers will qualify to participate in REP, details following Minister\u00a0Boissonnault\u2019s news conference indicated that employers\u00a0must have received at least three positive LMIAs for the same occupation within the past five years from a list of designated occupations and supported by the Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) data.<\/p>\n