Yessy Byl II

Where do all the skilled workers go?

Yessy Byl, featured in a previous Canvas story, has a pretty good idea.

“You only get to stay here as long as we want you to work here” is how Yessy describes the pervasive attitude that perpetuates our exploitation of temporary foreign workers.

Debates about the functionality of guest worker programs are raging in Europe and the US as much as here in Canada. But we’ve got quite a unique situation on our hands. According to Yessy, on a prorated basis, there are more temporary foreign workers in Canada than in the US. Why? “Our immigration program cannot respond to our labour needs in this country – so that’s why we use the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.”

But its workers who pay the cost, says Yessy. And eventually – as she explains in this interview – we all pay.

One of the concrete solutions Yessy offers up for making Canada’s immigrant employment system more just and successful is better federal oversight. She wants to see built-in protections, prohibitions against recruiters on a national basis, and other federal-level upgrades.

Yessy’s advocacy exposes the kind of realities of a flawed system that will help the labour movement better pursue credible recommendations for system reform.

The very nature of a guest worker program is exploitative.