BAC Members:
Emergency Foreign Worker Program – Industry Secures Meeting with Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food
In December 2021, industry wrote to the Ministers of Agriculture and Agri-food; Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Labour; Industry; and Finance, calling on the federal government to implement an Emergency Foreign Worker Program to address industry’s chronic and persistent vacancy rates of up to 20%. Federal Agriculture and Agri-food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has now agreed to a meeting with industry to discuss this request. We will work with her office over the coming days to confirm a date. We continue to schedule meetings with government and opposition Members of Parliament to press our request, with six meetings scheduled this week, including with MP Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance. We are also continuing to work to secure a meeting with Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, who has responsibility for the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program.
Employment and Social Development Canada Considering Emergency Foreign Worker Program Request
Last Thursday, Jean Michel Laurin, CPEPC, and Kathleen Sullivan, FBC-ABC, met with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) department staff to discuss our request for an Emergency Foreign Worker Program. The discussion was constructive with ESDC offering to continue meeting to work through the proposal. The department has also agreed to quarterly meetings with the food and beverage manufacturing sector to discuss progress on and review issues related to the TFW program. FBC-ABC will be working with ESDC to schedule these meetings for the coming year. CPEPC and FBC-ABC also used this meeting to raise issues related to the backlog of TFW applications for Chicken Catchers, a serious issue that is impacting poultry processing in Quebec.
Media Interest in Labour Shortage
The Financial Post is working on a feature story on industry’s labour problems. Last week, the Financial Post interviewed Daniel Vielfaure, CEO Bonduelle; Michael Burrows, CEO Maple Lodge Farms and Kathleen Sullivan, FBC-ABC and published the attached blog. We expect a longer feature story this week. An article in the Hill Times has also identified the labour challenges facing Canada’s food and beverage manufacturers.
Quebec Raises TFW Cap to 20%
Yesterday, AAFC and the Quebec government announced the long-awaited Quebec pilot to increase the maximum percent of TFW’s allowed in low-wage positions to 20% of an employer’s workforce. Currently, the majority of employers in Quebec have a 10% cap. This pilot will run until December 23, 2024.
House of Commons Finance Committee to hold Pre-budget consultations
The House of Commons Finance Committee has announced that it will start hearing from witnesses for its consultations in advance of the 2022 Budget the week of January 31, 2022. Each federal political party is to submit a prioritized witness list no later than 6:00pm on Friday, January 21, 2022. All submissions received have been posted on the Committee’s website. FBC-ABC’s pre-budget submission to the Finance Committee highlighted the labour issues facing the food and beverage manufacturing sector. FBC-ABC will be seeking an opportunity to appear before the Committee to continue stressing the need for urgent labour relief.
Workforce Strategic Plan
FBC-ABC, together with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Agriculture Human Resources Council, is leading the development of a multi-year National Workforce Strategic Plan for the agriculture and food and beverage manufacturing sectors. The strategy will focus on six key areas: HR Best Practices and Culture; Industry Perception and Awareness; Skill Development; Immigration and Foreign Workers; Automation, Innovation and Technology; and Underrepresented Groups. The Advisory Committee for this project – which includes CTAQ, Food and Beverage Ontario, BC Food and Beverage and the Canadian Meat Council – view this as a pressing issue and priority initiative that will develop real actions to address industry labour issues in the mid and longer term. The Advisory Committee met three times in December to triage priority action items under each of these six themes and will continue an aggressive schedule of meetings this quarter. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) has been identified an overarching component of this project and of the Strategic Plan. An EDI Working Group has been established to examine how the agriculture and food and beverage manufacturing sectors can become more inclusive and welcoming to people from a variety of backgrounds. We are seeking participants on the EDI Working Group and ask that you contact Kathleen Sullivan for more information.
Trucker vaccine mandate
Starting January 15 the federal government will require that all truck drivers entering Canada from the US be double vaccinated against COVID-19. A number of industry groups and opposition parties have raised concerns about the impact on Canada’s critical infrastructure including the food system. Conservative MP and Transport Critic Melissa Lantsman recently sent a letter(English only) to Transport Minister Omar Alghabra asking his government to do more to support the trucking industry if the mandate is introduced as planned. The Canadian Trucking Alliance, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters have all asked the federal government to either eliminate or postpone the mandate. FBC-ABC encourages all Canadians to be vaccinated and is working with the federal government to evaluate the potential impact of vaccine mandates on the food supply chain. Trucking associations estimate that Canada is currently short 20,000 drivers and that, with vaccine mandates, another 12,000 to 22,000 workers could leave their jobs. The situation will be exacerbated when the federal government’s requirement of mandatory vaccines for federally regulated employees kicks in this year. We will continue to monitor this issue.
The Prime Minister announces changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service
On January 5, the Prime Minister announced changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service, including Jean-Francois Tremblay, currently Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, becomes Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development; Francois Bilodeau, currently Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, becomes Associate Deputy Minister; and Paul Samson, currently Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, becomes Associate Deputy Minister. All changes become effective January 10, 2022.
House of Commons Finance Committee to hold Pre-budget consultations
The House of Commons Finance Committee has announced that it will commence hearing from witnesses for its consultations in advance of the 2022 Budget the week of January 31, 2022. Each party is to submit a prioritized witness list no later than 6:00 pm on Friday, January 21, 2022. All submissions received have been posted on the Committee’s website. FBC-ABC’s pre-budget submission to the Finance Committee highlighted the labour issues facing the food and beverage manufacturing sector. FBC-ABC will be seeking an opportunity to appear before the Committee to continue stressing the need for urgent labour relief.
White House investing $1B to boost competition in a meat-processing industry and lower consumer prices
On January 3, the White House announced it would allocate $1B in funding from the American Rescue Plan to independent meat and poultry producers as part of an effort to boost competition in the meat-processing industry and lower prices for consumers. The White House has argued that concentration in the sector is chiefly responsible for higher prices for consumers and that more competition will lead to lower prices.