OTTAWA – “Canada continues to face skills and labour shortages, particularly in Alberta,” said Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright. “These shortages have been a big concern for our government which is why we have announced the Accelerated-Labour Market Opinion. This streamlined, evidence-based model will not only reduce the paper burden put on employers but it will also enable Labour Market Opinions to be issued within 10 business days and ensure that foreign workers are protected through employer compliance reviews.”
The Accelerated- Labour Market Opinion (A-LMO) will feature the following:
- a simplified, online application process;
- more timely processing for employers with a good history;
- risk-based and random detailed compliance reviews of employers after Labour Market Opinions are issued;
- improved automation to reduce paperwork, and improve capacity to track compliance and share information; and
- call centre support for employers.
“Employers who take advantage of the Accelerated- Labour Market Opinion must consent to a post-Labour Market Opinion review in order to verify that Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s requirements are being fulfilled,” Benoit explained. “These requirements include: proof of reasonable effort in recruiting from the domestic work force; providing wages; and ensuring that working conditions are consistent with Canadian standards.”
Benoit further explained that, “Human Resources and Skills Development Canada will be watching employer compliance very carefully and action will be taken when necessary in order to protect temporary foreign workers.”
While a new wage structure will be introduced to give employers more flexibility, they must clearly demonstrate that the wage is consistent with Canadian worker wages based on data from Statistics Canada.
“I believe Alberta especially can benefit from the Accelerated- Labour Market Opinion as it will cover high-skill occupations, including skilled trades, which is huge for the skilled-labour shortages that we are currently facing,” Benoit said. “Eventually, the Accelerated- Labour Market Opinion could be expanded to include risk-based processing for all occupations and components of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.”
