Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called for the elimination of the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program early Wednesday, arguing it floods the job market with cheap labour and hinders job prospects for young Canadians.

"The Liberals have to answer, 'Why is it that they are shutting our own youth out of jobs and replacing them with low-wage, temporary foreign workers from poor countries who are ultimately being exploited,'" Poilievre said during a Mississauga press scrum.

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When asked if he would publicly shame companies who exploit the program, Poilievre said, “Michelle Rempel [Garner] has already begun the process,” referring to his immigration critic. 

“She's been publishing the most egregious cases of corporate elites profiting by shutting Canadians out of jobs in favour of low wage temporary foreign workers.”

This query concerns a TFW restaurant manager role at Tim Hortons in Singhampton, Ontario, advertised at $36/hour. A similar job posting for Gravenhurst, Ontario, is advertised at $25.10/hour.

Since May, ten low-wage job postings for the company have been added to the government's public job bank.

MP Rempel Garner chimed in, stating, “It's absolutely egregious that these companies expect that they can just maximize corporate profits on the backs of and at the expense of Canadian youth. It's a practice that has to end.”

Canada lost over 40,000 jobs in July, with youth employment (15-24) at 53.6%, the lowest since November 1998.

“The principle is very simple,” Poilievre said. “Canadian jobs for Canadian workers. Canada first, Canada always.”

Poilievre calls on the Liberals to permanently end their Temporary Foreign Worker Program to allow young Canadians to get jobs.

"Why is it that they're shutting our own youth out of jobs and replacing them with low-wage temporary foreign workers from poor countries who are… pic.twitter.com/mccNME3Nc0

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) September 3, 2025

In Toronto, Prime Minister Mark Carney clarified his government's plan to reduce immigration from 7% to 5% of the population in the coming years. This clarification comes amidst frequent cabinet dismissals of criticism regarding temporary resident admissions.

The Liberal government recently claimed the Conservative leader's figures "include inaccurate or incomplete information," adding that 125,903 fewer new temporary workers arrived between January and June 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

TFW arrivals in Canada dropped from 245,000 in 2024 to 119,000 in the first half of this year, according to an Immigration spokesperson. However, immigration targets exceed historic norms. 

"If they do the same number of permits for temporary foreign workers in the next six months that they did in the last, they will break the record again," Poilievre said, criticizing the Liberal government and "liberal corporate elites" for TFW exploitation.

Carney noted that tariffs are a greater priority than foreign workers for business leaders. 

"That program has a role, it has to be focused in terms of its role," Carney said. "It's part of what we will be discussing — how well the temporary foreign worker program is working and how our overall immigration system is working."

Economists advocate ending the low-wage TFW stream, arguing that Canada's reliance on it hinders technology investment, productivity, and wage growth, while Canadian youth struggle economically.

Between 2019 and 2023, approved TFWs in food and retail rose 211%, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of government data. These entry-level roles were previously filled by young Canadians entering the workforce, as a 'foot in the door.'

A prior Conservative petition to end the program (excluding agriculture) reinforced Poilievre’s grievances. He noted its elimination would be replaced by a separate agricultural labour program, likely Canada's existing Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program (SWAP) for Mexican and Caribbean farm workers.

Despite cabinet denials, a 2021 report reveals employers exploited temporary foreign workers by dodging promised wages, paying below-market rates, coercing unpaid work, and deducting LMIA fees. The report also noted wage suppression risks in sectors like carpentry, fish packing, and trucking.