Restaurants Canada says supply of TFW represents small but critical percentage of the total workforce

In response to the Leader of the Official Opposition’s calls Sept. 3 to scrap the Temporary Foreign Worker program, Restaurants Canada says that without enough staff for key roles, restaurants in rural and remote communities risk reduced hours, closures and lost local jobs.

Temporary Foreign Workers, while making up only three per cent of the food-service workforce, play a vital role in sustaining operations in underserved areas, the association said in a news release. These workers, predominantly skilled chefs and cooks, are often the cornerstone of a restaurant’s ability to operate and maintain operations. The realities of the aging labour market in many of these areas, means chefs and cooks are simply not available.

Temporary Foreign Workers are not a low-cost option for labour, but a last resort for restaurants in many areas. The costs of bringing in TFWs can be as high as $8,600 per worker. The preference has always been to hire locals.

Forty per cent of the restaurant industry’s workforce is currently youth, and the industry has long been the number 1 source of first-time jobs for youth for decades.

“Our ask is simple,” said Kelly Higginson, president and chief executive officer of Restaurants Canada. “Let’s work together to ensure rural and remote communities have a supply of key labour positions to protect the small businesses, support communities, and ensure Canadians can continue to enjoy the food, hospitality, and culture our restaurants bring to the table. Restaurants are looking for permanent solutions, not temporary ones.”