This clause would allow workers who are already stationed to stay in the country.
“Each forced departure comes to break an already weakened chain,” warns Julie White, president and general manager of manufacturers & exporters of Quebec (MEQ), who presses Ottawa to intervene before it is too late.
Companies fear a real exodus of labor. In 2024, more than 11,000 jobs remained vacant in the manufacturing sector, and almost a quarter of the employees were 55 years or older.
According to Emploi-Québec, more than 1.4 million positions will have to be filled by 2030.
The situation is particularly tense in the Quebec region, where each company will have to provide between 50 and 100 positions in the next three to five years, according to data collected by MEQ.
However, the new measures announced by the federal government in the fall of 2024 reduce the number of TETs allowed by company on average – a major decline.
MEQ estimates that current restrictions could cause income loss ranging from 10 % to 30 %. Some companies may be forced to transfer part of their production to the United States, or even completely cease their activities.
The organization also requests reform of the temporary foreign workers program. He notably hopes that companies installed in regions where the unemployment rate is low can hire up to 20 % of foreign workers at low wages.
