Dear Prime Minister Mark Carney and Minister Marc Miller,

We, the undersigned Canadians, are writing to you with a simple but urgent demand: put Canadian workers first in Canada’s job market.

For far too long, we have watched jobs that should go to Canadian citizens instead being filled by Temporary Foreign Workers from abroad. This has hurt people across the country – from young Canadians desperate to start their careers, to experienced workers struggling to find new opportunities. We find ourselves shut out of jobs in our own communities, while employers import labour from overseas to do the work instead. This is unfair, unjust, and it needs to change.

Canada is facing high unemployment and a cost-of-living crisis, yet federal policy continues to allow businesses to bypass Canadian talent. This is unacceptable. No Canadian who is ready, willing, and able to work should be denied an opportunity just because an employer finds it more convenient to hire a temporary foreign worker at a lower wage. The duty of the government is to its own citizens first, not to the bottom lines of big corporations.

A recent poll shows that nearly half of Canadians want the Temporary Foreign Worker Program eliminated. The public sentiment is clear: Canadians across all ages and regions feel this program is undermining our job market and the future of our youth. We add our voices to that majority. The status quo – where our government invites in a cheap workforce while our own people struggle – is simply not working for Canada.

We therefore call on your government to take immediate action to prioritize Canadian workers. In particular, we urge you to:

• Scrap the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, or at minimum implement an immediate freeze and overhaul of the program, so it is no longer used as a routine source of cheap labour. If truly critical, short-term labour gaps arise, they must not be an excuse to displace Canadian workers or drive down wages.

• Enforce a strict “Canadians First” hiring policy across all industries. Employers must be required to aggressively recruit and offer decent wages to Canadian workers before turning to any foreign worker option. No more rubber-stamping LMIA approvals when there are Canadians available and willing to work.

• Invest in Canadian talent. Instead of catering to corporate demands for inexpensive labour, incentivize businesses to raise wages, improve working conditions, and train workers here at home. Strengthen programs that help unemployed or under-employed Canadians – especially young people – get the skills and opportunities they need to fill jobs in sectors facing worker shortages.

By taking these steps, you would be standing up for Canadian workers and the future of our nation. We urge you to act now to end the unfair displacement of Canadians in their own country. The people of Canada are watching and expecting you to defend their interests. It’s time to stop the sellout and put Canada first by ensuring that Canadian jobs go to Canadian workers.

Canadian workers deserve the opportunity to thrive in their own land. We love our country and want a fair chance for all Canadians to work and build a decent life here. Please do the right thing: respect the will of the people and make “Hire Canadians First” more than just a slogan – make it the law of the land.