Carney Liberals admit Temporary Foreign Worker program costs $139 million a year, employs 1,144 bureaucrats

The Liberals' Temporary Foreign Worker program has been under the spotlight as youth unemployment soars across Canada.

 

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Canadian taxpayers are forking out $139 million every year just to administer the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program—a massive bureaucracy that employs over 1,100 federal staffers to process paperwork, enforce compliance, and manage policy.

The figures came in response to a written order paper question from Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, who pressed the Liberals for a breakdown of the program’s true cost.

According to Parliamentary Secretary Annie Koutrakis, the 2024–25 fiscal year saw:

  • $105 million in operating costs;

  • $18.7 million in transfer payments through the Migrant Worker Support Program;

  • $15.1 million for employee benefits;

  • plus a small accounting refund of $45,000.

In total, 1,144 full-time federal employees were assigned to the program. Of those:

  • 513 worked on Labour Market Impact Assessment applications,

  • 304 on employer compliance checks,

  • 16 at regional contact centres,

  • 6 delivering the Migrant Worker Support Program, and

  • 305 at national headquarters overseeing strategy, policy, systems, and operational guidance.

Thankfully, Ottawa admitted it spent nothing on promoting or advertising the program abroad, despite importing tens of thousands of workers every year while Canadian youth unemployment continues to climb and housing affordability declines.

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Sheila Gunn Reid

Chief Reporter

Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.

COMMENTS

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  • Bernhard Jatzeck
    commented 2025-09-16 21:50:27 -0400
    Another government make-work project.
  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2025-09-16 21:13:10 -0400
    SPEND! SPEND! SPEND! That’s all Liberals do with the money they confiscate from us each April. What irresponsible idiots! And the debt won’t pay itself off. Only prudent savings will pay that down. International bankers won’t forgive our debt either. But Liberals don’t care. Those making legislation don’t have to atone for their blunders.