The Canadian government and the province of Saskatchewan are co-signatories of an information-sharing agreement with the goal of protecting foreign workers from exploitation.
““All foreign workers in Canada have the same rights and protections as Canadians, and our government is committed to the integrity of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program,”“ commented Ed Komarnicki, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
According to Rob Norris, Minister of Advanced Education, Employment and Labour and Minister Responsible for Immigration for Saskatchewan, the priority is “to ensure that the rights and well-being of all Saskatchewan workers are upheld and protected, including newcomers and temporary foreign workers”.
“Through this agreement, our governments will be able to share information that improves the protection of foreign workers’ rights, and make certain that employers are fulfilling their responsibilities — thereby securing Saskatchewan’s reputation as a great place to work and live,” added Norris.
Saskatchewan already has in place a number of measures to protect workers, included fact sheets in several languages addressing issues that workers may be faced with, as well as a Program Integrity Unit.
With this new agreement, both the federal and the local government will work together and share communication tools to help inform employers and foreign workers about their rights and responsibilities.
The new agreement is similar to ones already in place between the federal government and the provincial governments of Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia.
