This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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The top Filipino diplomat in Canada, Eric Tamayo, has bluntly defended the federal government’s temporary foreign worker program calling it an overall success after the government made an abrupt decision to block restaurants from using the program and leave many migrant workers in distress. Statistically, the Philippines has been the No. 1 source country in terms of approved Labour Market Opinions, i.e. a screening process that ensures there is no Canadian available to do the work. Back in 2012, the number of successful applications from the Philippines was twice as high as the second-place Mexico.
The consul-general of the the Philippines embassy in Ottawa, Eric Tamayo, alleged that the federal government needs to look into the fate of the workers in Canada who would have otherwise been looking for their next restaurant job but are now blocked from that sector due to last week’s moratorium. The sudden announcement made by Employment Minister Jason Kenney, which blocked that restaurant sector’s access to new temporary foreign workers, was partly triggered by extreme criticism from McDonald’s franchises in Victoria that were suspected of bringing in temporary Filipino workers while Canadians said they were being denied work.
Mr. Tamayo stated that “the understanding among many Filipinos taking part in the program is they have come to Canada to take on the work that not many people in Canada nowadays would like to do.” He added that “we’ve had the occasion to talk with some of the workers on the ground and they’re happy with having been given the opportunity to work in Canada … Certainly the last thing on their mind would be if they are taking the job of anybody else.”
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