Canada immigration aid for exploited workers

June 22 2009 by Bryan Palmer

Canada immigration, Rona Ambrose

The Canadian government has announced plans to reintroduce amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act which are intended to protect immigrants on a Canadian visa from human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.

People on a Canada visa who work in industries such as live-in care and childcare and people working as dancers are more susceptible to exploitation from employers promising them paid work but failing to deliver. Others may be forced to work in jobs that are degrading.

These people are usually temporary work-visa holders but the changes would allow Canadian immigration more rights to refuse to grant visas for people they feel may be being exploited.

Josée Verner, speaking on behalf of the Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister, Jason Kenney, said the changes “will strengthen Canada’s immigration system by helping to prevent situations where temporary workers in Canada may be abused, exploited or possibly become victims of human trafficking.”

Rona Ambrose, the Labour Minister said, “the amendments will help further our agenda of increasing protections for temporary foreign workers, by preventing situations of abuse from happening in the first place.”

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