BC’s Jobs Minister is admitting people have lost confidence in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program after the HD Mining controversy.
Pat Bell says it is clear the company fell short in looking for qualified Canadian miners before bringing in Chinese workers.
“The public needs to have confidence that any jobs that are allowed to be taken by, particularily temporary workers I think there is a difference between that and immigrants, need to truly be unfillable by British Columbians and by Canadians and that has clearly not been the case here and we have all learned that.”
Bell says the Temporary Foreign Worker Program needs to be fixed, “There is no question people are angry and I accept that, we accept that. I think that is why when Minister Finley steps up and says we are going to do a review of the program, we agree with that. I am clearly on record saying that I think it is appropriate because when people lose confidence in a process like the Federal Government have with the temporary foreign workers, you need to revisit that and make sure that is regained”
HD Mining was forced by the Court to hand over hundreds of resumes from rejected Canadian workers.
Meanwhile, The President of the BC Federation of Labour says his jaw hit the floor hearing Pat Bell admit HD Mining failed to look for qualified Canadian miners.
Jim Sinclair says for the Minister and his Government, it is a dramatic turnaround, “This Minister just admitted that the Provincial Government agrees with the unions that this Temporary Foreign Worker Program failed; that British Columbians should have been given those jobs and they weren’t. That is a 150 degrees from where they were a week ago defending the project and Christy Clark defending the use of temporary foreign workers in northern British Columbia.”
Sinclair says the Province got caught backing a “bad horse” in HD Mining. He says it is time for the mining company to work with the unions to make the Tumbler Ridge mine work.
The NDP are also calling Bell’s most recent comments on the HD Mining temporary foreign worker program controversy a complete turn around.
Shane Simpson says the BC Government and Minister Bell defended HD Mining until it became obvious the company was in the wrong.
“It is only now that those resumes have come to light that it has become clear that this system is not working it has failed and that there Canadians and British Columbians who could have done that work and didn’t get the opportunity that they are having to walk this thing back now I think it was a complete admission that this system is broken it has failed.”
Simpson says the temporary foreign worker program needs to be fixed to address a looming labour shortage.
He says he has yet to hear anything from the province to indicate they will be part of finding a solution.
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