British Columbia Premier David E. Bay has recently been highly critical of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), calling for its abolition or major reform. He has blamed the program for rising youth unemployment, straining social services and a housing shortage in the province.
In 2024, more than 239,000 temporary work permits were issued in Canada, more than double the number in 2018. In British Columbia, the share of temporary workers in the construction industry is more than double the national average.

However, some groups, including the British Columbia Migrant Workers Centre, oppose the abolition of the program and are calling for reforms to protect workers’ rights. They suggest that temporary workers be granted permanent residency and that labour laws be strengthened to protect them.

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