Ottawa extends employment periods for temporary foreign workers, changes other rules

These proposed measures include one that would allow the provinces and territories themselves to add or remove occupations from the list of jobs exempt from the six-per-cent rule.

The federal government is also proposing that provinces and territories have the power to allow employers to expand the share of their workforces made up of low-wage temporary foreign workers to 15 per cent — up from the current limit of 10 per cent.

Immigration Minister Lena Diab said Monday the government intends to work more closely with the provinces and territories on tailoring the temporary worker program to regional needs.

“I have heard also loud and clear from many people across the country, no matter who they are, that there is a need for that program,” Diab told a press conference in Stellarton, N.S.

Diab said while temporary workers’ share of the workforce might rise in some fields, the government maintains all jobs should be made available to Canadians first.

“But we do recognize that we also need the skilled trades and the skilled people that have different skills than what we have in Canada, but also there are regions in the country that do not have the Canadians applying,” Diab said.

“The percentages that you raise will be up to the provinces and territories to say yes or no. This is again working in partnership with the provinces in territories who will decide whether that is the right thing to do for their provinces, and if so, where in the regions.”

Diab was in Stellarton to announce that the Rural Community Immigration Pilot is being made into a permanent government program and a permanent residency pathway.

This program involved more than 1,950 vetted employers in 14 rural communities that faced labour shortages and couldn’t fill jobs solely with local workers. The government helped those employers connect with skilled foreign workers who would then be put on a path to permanent residency.

About 5,500 permanent residency slots are assigned to this program in the latest immigration levels plan and the government says it plans to open the program up to more communities in the future.

The government alluded to temporary foreign worker program reforms in Thursday’s budget. Government officials who briefed reporters on background Thursday said they did not have detailed information about the planned reforms — which were published the next day.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Friday that the temporary foreign worker program should not be an option in communities where the unemployment rate is above 5.5. per cent.

The national unemployment rate was 6.7 per cent in October, according to Statistics Canada. The unemployment rate has fluctuated month-to-month between around 6.5 per cent and seven per cent for the last two years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Ottawa extends employment periods for temporary foreign workers, changes other rules

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