Forty-eight Surrey businesses have been fined a collective $914,000 over the past eight years for non-compliance with or , with $473,250 in those fines listed as unpaid.

The federal programs乌鸦传媒� purpose, under the umbrella of Immigration and Citizenship Canada, is to oversee the hiring of temporary workers and set out conditions employers must abide by. Inspections are done in an effort to ensure compliance.

Eight numbered companies are among Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 48, which includes construction, trucking, agriculture, restaurants, importing, security, a private elementary school, automotive, and labour services are among them.

All told, penalties have been levied against between 2016 and 2024.

The highest penalty applied to a Surrey business 乌鸦传媒� a numbered company 乌鸦传媒� was a $129,000 fine plus a one-year ban. The lowest fine was $500.

The also indicates Surrey businesses have reaped a collective 22 years in bans on hiring temporary workers.

Ken Hardie, Liberal MP for Fleetwood-Port Kells, said 乌鸦传媒減redatory practices involving temporary foreign workers and students, etcetera, they乌鸦传媒檝e been talked about for a long time and it乌鸦传媒檚 taken us longer than it should have to really start to grapple with this.乌鸦传媒�

He said there乌鸦传媒檚 now 乌鸦传媒渞eal discussions going on in Ottawa乌鸦传媒� about the selling Labour Market Impact Assessments for 乌鸦传媒渙utrageous amounts of money when they乌鸦传媒檙e not to be sold. So there乌鸦传媒檚 been a lot of gaming the system and my guess is the numbers that you saw in that report are low compared with what乌鸦传媒檚 actually going on.乌鸦传媒�

An LMIA is a document an employer requires before hiring a foreign worker, with a positive LMIA indicating a need exists for a foreign worker to fill a job.

乌鸦传媒淭his is all just the mutterings on the street you hear continuously about people abusing the system,乌鸦传媒� Hardie told the Now-Leader. 乌鸦传媒淛ust in the last couple of days I saw some action on the LMIAs but that said, we have a lot on our plate right now that we乌鸦传媒檙e talking about, and it乌鸦传媒檚 mainly housing and the tax system and things like that.乌鸦传媒�

Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman called the situation 乌鸦传媒渃oncerning.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淚 was not aware of that,乌鸦传媒� she told the Now-Leader on Friday, when told about the 48. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e had recent conversations with the federal government on the temporary foreign worker program. There are industries such as the agriculture sector, some of the Indian sweets shops, the manufacturers that require temporary foreign workers, there is a move to modify legislation for TFWs (temporary foreign workers) and further consultation with the private sector but I was not aware of the severity of the situation that you乌鸦传媒檙e speaking of.乌鸦传媒�

Randeep Sarai, Liberal MP for Surrey Centre, said the government has made it easier for employees who are not being paid or not getting a job after they arrive to report this to the Canada Border Services Agency which will then provide them with an open work permit while it investigates. 乌鸦传媒淚f it turns out to be true, they will give the opportunity to the employee to find another employer.乌鸦传媒�

The federal government, he added, has also changed the immigration consultants industry from being self-regulating to government-regulated. 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 repercussions and penalties乌鸦传媒� Sarai said, 乌鸦传媒渂ut all of these do require the employee to report, and to report the irregularities or criminal activity or abuse.乌鸦传媒� Employment Standards also does audits to confirm if employers are actually employing these workers.

As for unpaid fines Sarai, who is also a lawyer, noted that getting a judgment is one thing but collecting on it 乌鸦传媒渋s the hardest part always.

乌鸦传媒淚f the company doesn乌鸦传媒檛 pay they usually are able to go after the directors of that company too, so I believe it is just a matter of time,乌鸦传媒� he said.

乌鸦传媒淭he program overall is a fairly effective program and does really well, but there is a small amount of abuse that does happen and we probably need to do more and we乌鸦传媒檙e always looking at different ways to plug those holes where abuse or misuse has taken place.乌鸦传媒�

Provincial Labour Minister Harry Bains, NDP MLA for Surrey-Newton, said his position has been 乌鸦传媒� and always will be 乌鸦传媒� that regardless of one乌鸦传媒檚 immigration status or their arrangement is to work here, 乌鸦传媒渆very worker must be paid and protected just like any other worker.

乌鸦传媒淭hese are the few who take advantage by cheating their workers and cheating their competitors, which is not the right thing to do and I don乌鸦传媒檛 think I would ever stand for that,乌鸦传媒� Bains said. The NDP government, when it was first formed, brought in the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act requiring that employers to register the employees and that all recruiters must be licensed if they are to recruit for an employer within B.C., he added.

乌鸦传媒淪o what happens when a complaint comes to the Employment Standards branch about an employer who may not be complying with the laws, and if the Employment Standards Branch finds them in violation,乌鸦传媒� Bains explained, 乌鸦传媒渢hat information then is shared with the federal counterparts so they can take action on their side.乌鸦传媒�

The provincial government then unregisters the employer and it wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 be able to hire temporary foreign workers, Bains said, 乌鸦传媒渂ecause the federal government requires them to be registered with us as well. If they are not registered with us they will not be able to hire a temporary foreign worker going forward, period.乌鸦传媒�

Bains said he乌鸦传媒檚 aware of LMIAs or sponsorship letters being sold, 乌鸦传媒渁nd they乌鸦传媒檙e not supposed to be sold. I have asked my federal counterparts numerous times that there should not be that requirement.

If it乌鸦传媒檚 known what sectors are facing a shortage, the labour minister said, 乌鸦传媒渢hen why don乌鸦传媒檛 we just issue work permits in that sector to those qualified who are applying to work here as a temporary foreign worker, then there乌鸦传媒檚 no need for that letter which I乌鸦传媒檓 told is being sold for a lot of money, which is illegal.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淎t the end of the day,乌鸦传媒� Bains said of the federal government, 乌鸦传媒渋t is their file, it乌鸦传媒檚 their responsibility and we乌鸦传媒檙e doing everything we can at the provincial level, through the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act, but if there are areas of loopholes and gaps that some bad actors are using to make a lot of money on the backs of the temporary foreign workers, then we should close those gaps.乌鸦传媒�