Feds 'killing parts of economy,' says lawyer representing $300-million lawsuit over TFWP
Quebec manufacturers and exporters are challenging federal immigration changes in court, arguing that Ottawa’s reduced foreign worker quotas have made them financially vulnerable and legally entitled to $300 million in damages.
The lawsuit, filed this month, involves 23 businesses that produce steel goods, winter clothing, and aircraft parts, according to CTV News.
The group says their ability to operate depends on access to temporary foreign workers and that the current policy direction puts them at risk of bankruptcy.
“The federal government from 2021 to 2024 has said to those enterprises: ‘You can count on foreign workers as much as you like,’” said Frédéric Bérard, legal counsel for the companies. “And, all of a sudden, they decided to flip the table and say, ‘Well, forget about that, we’re changing the rules.’”
The claimants argue that the changes contradict previous signals from the federal government and are seeking damages to recover their business losses, says the report.
“The federal government obviously is killing some part, some very important vital parts, of our economy,” Bérard added.
Temporary immigration system
The changes follow calls from the Quebec government and conservative groups who say the temporary immigration system is growing beyond sustainable levels, says CTV news.
“We’ve seen an increase of 300,000 temporary immigrants, 300,000 additional people. So of course it has a major impact on services,” Quebec Premier François Legault said in October.
Business groups argue the labour restrictions limit their ability to fill vacant roles. They say operations have been affected, and some companies have been forced to reduce capacity or delay orders, says the report.
“These companies either have to slow down production, refills, contracts and in certain cases they wait,” said Véronique Proulx of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, adding some shifts may be cancelled due to a lack of available labour.
The businesses say the situation is urgent, as they incur losses each month without adequate staffing. They are calling for financial stability to continue operations under the current workforce limitations.
