“A new government policy means companies will no longer have to try to hire a Canadian first. This is happening right after 68,000 Canadians lost their jobs. I want the minister to explain why those people will not get the first chance at these jobs.”

“Mr. Speaker, starting November 3, under a new Liberal policy, corporations will not have to prove they tried to hire a Canadian first. Instead, the Liberals are siding with corporations and institutions that do not want to put in the work to hire and train Canadians. They are doing this after 68,000 Canadians lost their jobs last month. Can the immigration minister tell those 68,000 people why their government decided they do not even deserve to get a first look?”

“Employers used to have to prove they tried to hire Canadians before bringing in temporary foreign workers. That rule protects Canadian wages, but the government is getting rid of it. I want to know why they think hiring Canadians first was too hard to manage.”

“Mr. Speaker, everything that member just said is wrong based on the immigration minister’s announcement. The rule for giving a Canadian job to a temporary foreign worker before November 3 is simple. Before they hire from abroad, they must prove they tried to hire here. That is the whole rule, and it protects Canadians from wage suppression, but the Liberals have announced that they are scrapping it. That is nuts. In the middle of an affordability crisis, which part of trying to hire a Canadian first did the immigration minister think was too tough to manage?”

“BioWare is closing in Edmonton. The immigration minister just ended a rule that forced tech companies to try to hire Canadians first. What does she have to say to the workers who just lost their jobs?”

“Mr. Speaker, as we sat here, some sombre news just broke. BioWare, an Edmonton software firm, which produced beloved video games like Mass Effect and created jobs for Edmontonians, is being shuttered. The immigration minister just scrapped the last safeguard that forces IT corporations to try to hire Canadians before offering the job to somebody from outside the country. What does she have to say to those people from BioWare who just lost their jobs and who might not get a look because of her policy decision?”