Calls to Temporary Foreign Worker abuse line nearly doubled last year
Government figures show there are currently over half a million temporary foreign workers in Canada, dwarfing historical averages.
According to data tabled in Parliament and first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, complaints to the federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program tip line surged by 85% in 2024, rising from 7,593 calls in 2023 to a record 14,021 calls last year.
The government provided no explanation for the sharp increase. In a written Inquiry of Ministry response tabled at the request of Conservative MP Andrew Lawton (Elgin–St. Thomas, Ont.), Employment and Social Development Canada stated that every tip is reviewed within two business days using a triage system that evaluates urgency, credibility, risk to workers, and relevance.
Of the 14,021 tips received in 2024, 4,160 (about 30%) triggered compliance actions, such as launching a new on-site inspection or expanding an existing one.
As complaints about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program have risen over the years, so has enforcement. A 2020 follow-up audit by the Auditor General, building on a highly critical 2017 report, revealed that 41% of inspected employers hiring temporary foreign workers were found non-compliant, resulting in warnings, monetary penalties, or temporary bans from the program.
The Liberal government has repeatedly acknowledged over-reliance on the program despite presiding over an unprecedented surge in immigration. As then-Immigration Minister Marc Miller told the Senate on October 8, 2024: “The country has gotten addicted to temporary workers… Businesses have taken advantage.”
He added that nearly every business association and chamber of commerce he has met continues to demand even higher numbers of foreign workers, warning that Canada “can’t get complacent” about the trend.
Minister of Immigration Marc Miller says that he is focused on the backlog of immigration processing — 5 million data points just this year — to make sure that newcomers have documents to “live their life,” or be sent back to their home countries within “acceptable” timeframes pic.twitter.com/8lKoEtRwrs
— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) September 30, 2023
The Liberal government pledged to cap the number of new temporary foreign workers in 2025 at 82,000, however over 110,000 permits have already been granted this year.
Guess what the latest immigration numbers show?
— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) August 15, 2025
Aside from the mass immigration boom continuing as Carneys promise to get things under control crumbles
A 🧵 pic.twitter.com/Ls4yBgEeVw
While speaking in Parliament in September, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner slammed the Liberals for failing to act to stop the influx of immigrants entering Canada. "Since [Carney] took office, tens of thousands of jobs have been lost. But the Liberals are on track this year to bring in the most temporary foreign work permits ever," she said.
Justin Trudeau, with his “progressive” immigration policies, told us this would never happen https://t.co/ePY3jTO0Ev
— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) April 26, 2023
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called on the Liberals to permanently scrap their Temporary Foreign Worker Program as youth unemployment across Canada skyrockets.
Featured Stories
06:55
