What Canada’s politicians are saying about the TFWP: Carney, Poilievre, and more

In recent weeks, the Conservative Party—Canada’s official opposition—has called for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to be “permanently scrapped.” The issue has caused a defining clash between Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives and Mark Carney’s Liberals with politicians and commentators are weighing in from across the country.

In this article, we track the latest comments made by Canadian politicians about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, including comments by Poilievre, Carney, and more.

Pierre Poilievre calls to end the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)

Poilievre has put the TFWP fight at the centre of his message for what he calls “Generation Screwed.” He’s careful never to blame immigrants themselves, instead pointing the finger at the Liberal government:

“Young people today form what I call Generation Screwed. Let’s look at the situation for this generation. It is the first generation that cannot afford a home in Canadian history. And now, the double gut punch: they have the highest or the worst employment numbers of any group of young people since the late 1990s.” – Pierre Poilievre, News Conference (Sept 3, 2025)

Poilievre creates a powerful connection between high levels of youth unemployment and the expansion of the TFWP:

“Nearly 75% of temporary foreign workers that come into the country are for low-wage positions, which means they compete with working class and young people that ultimately drive down wages and drive away jobs. Tim Hortons has hired an unimaginable 1,131% more temporary foreign workers in the last four years.”

Again, Poilievre is always careful to avoid blaming foreign workers for the issues:

“I haven’t blamed temporary foreign workers. They are great people. They’re not to blame. The Liberal government is to blame. It’s the Liberals that are bringing people. The temporary foreign workers are just seeing a job opportunity and getting a work permit.” – Pierre Poilievre, CBC’s The House (Sept 13, 2025)

Notably, while Poilievre has called for the end of the TFWP, he is advocating for the creation of a new standalone program for agricultural workers. This would replace the existing Seasonal Agriculture Workers Program.

Michelle Rempel Garner has a moral argument for ending the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)

Michelle Rempel Garner is the Shadow Minister for Immigration, aka the Immigration Critic. It’s no surprise that she has come out in strong support of Poilievre’s call to scrap the TFWP.

“This is a government sanctioned wage suppressor, and it’s a government sanctioned normalizer of essentially a caste system… The TFW program has normalized the use of a temporary foreign low-paid underclass in this country.” – Michelle Rempel Garner, Hub Podcasts (Sept 9, 2025)

Rempel Garner argues that reform has been tried and failed:

“Reform was tried and reform failed. Jason [Kenney] and Prime Minister Harper enacted measures to try to bring the program under control. But the intense lobbying from companies like Tim Hortons and Restaurants Canada walked those reforms back. That pressure hasn’t changed. It’s incumbent upon legislators to say: this was tried, this failed, the economic situation has changed, and here we are.”

Rempel Garner also rejects the argument that “kids don’t want those jobs:”

“That is a very dangerous, elitist, and cultural statement… If I said that those jobs were for ‘those people,’ I’d be accused of dog whistling. But that’s exactly the thinking this program creates.”

She closes the circle by linking the program not only to wage suppression but also to fraud, exploitation, and brand risk for companies:

“The exploitation in this program has been on full display for years, for an entire decade, story after story about people paying to get one of these jobs. Fraud has never been brought into check. Because these workers can’t move around, they end up being indentured. If working conditions change, they can’t complain because they’ll be sent home.”

And her bottom line:

“There’s literally no argument to make for the existence of this program, especially in a time of high youth unemployment, potential recession, and lower wages for the lowest earners in the country. I can’t believe the Liberals haven’t come to this conclusion themselves. It’s crazy.”

Fact check: Notably, both Poilievre and Rempel Garner argue that the federal government is issuing record numbers of TFWP work permits in 2025. However, recent data on admissions shows that temporary resident arrivals are down as the government follows through on its promise to reduce immigration targets. Poilievre’s high numbers likely refer to ‘approved permits’ which also includes work permit renewals for workers who are already in Canada.

Prime Minister Mark Carney offers tepid response, agreeing to “adjust” the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

By contrast, Mark Carney’s communications have been restrained, managerial, and focused on percentages and timelines. At a Liberal caucus retreat, Carney stressed technical targets:

“Our mission is to return Canada’s immigration rates to sustainable levels while working to attract the very best talent in the world to help build our economy. And that includes bringing the total number of temporary workers and international students to less than 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027, down from its peak of 7.25% last year.” – Prime Minister Mark Carney, Liberal caucus retreat (Sept 10, 2025)

Caving to pressure from the Conservatives, Carney agreed to “adjust” the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, though details are murky:

“The Temporary Foreign Worker Program must have a focused approach that targets specific strategic sectors and needs in specific regions. So, we’re working on that: setting those goals, adjusting, and working to ease the strain on housing, public infrastructure, and our social services while we build that strong economy.”

Carney framed the issue in terms of balance:

“Canadians are a generous people. We’re welcoming people to our country. We have to make sure we have the capacity to fulfill that welcome.”

The problem, politically, is that this language positions him as defending businesses’ use of TFWs rather than siding with struggling youth. Jordan Leichnitz, a political commentator, notes that Carney is walking into a “diabolical” political trap laid by Poilievre:

“Carney is allowing himself to be pushed into defending businesses in this and giving Poilievre the space to be on the side of young workers who he’s positioning as the victims of this program.”

Carney may have bought time by promising adjustments. However, Carney’s words sound flat and emotionless when compared to the Conservatives’ passionate plea to young workers.

All eyes will be on Carney for his next move, which may define the direction of this debate. Carney has a history of taking Poilievre’s policy proposals and adopting them as his own – it’s possible he might accept Poilievre’s call to end the TFWP, either dismantling it entirely or radically transforming it.

Immigration Minister Lena Diab & Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu defend the TFWP status quo

With the return of Parliament’s Question Period, Liberal cabinet members have been pressed to defend the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. These ministers have fallen into the “political trap” of defending the status quo. Immigration Minister Lena Diab argued that the TFWP is already changing to reflect lower numbers:

“Our Immigration Levels Plan reduced targets for permanent and [temporary] residents. That plan is working. New student and temporary worker admissions are down more than 60%, asylum claims are down one-third, and new permanent residents will be down 20%.”

Meanwhile, the Minister for Jobs and Families, Patty Hajdu, argued that the use of the TFWP has fallen dramatically in 2025:

“Temporary Foreign Worker use is down by 70%… less than 1% of our workforce is temporary foreign workers.”

Such statements may be accurate but do little to counter the Conservative wedge.

Danielle Smith and David Eby carry support for ending the TFWP across provincial borders and party lines

Premier’s from across the political spectrum have, somewhat surprisingly, united in support of Poilievre’s call to end the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. One day after Poilievre’s initial call, the NDP Premier of British Columbia, David Eby, shocked many constituents by backing Poilievre despite their political differences:

“The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is not working. It should be cancelled or significantly reformed… We can’t have an immigration system that outpaces our ability to build schools, and housing, and we can’t have an immigration program that results in high unemployment.”

Less surprising, Alberta’s Conservative Premier, Danielle Smith, also joined ranks behind Poilievre’s proposal:

“It’s very, very clear that the Temporary Foreign Worker program was meant for higher wage, higher-skilled workers. It was not meant to displace young people at those entry-level positions.”

A lesson can also be learned from the comments made by Ontario’s Conservative Premier, Doug Ford, who was starkly criticized after blaming Canadian youth for their own inability to find employment:

“It drives me nuts when I see young, healthy people and they’ll call me up saying, ‘I can’t find a job.’ I can assure you, if you look hard enough – it may be in fast food or something else – but you’ll find a job and that will take you to the next level.”

The many critiques of Ford’s comments show that Canadians have an appetite to find someone to blame for high youth unemployment other than youth themselves. Politicians need to be cautious in how they approach this issue, especially as the heat turns up in the months ahead.

Conclusion: The Conservatives have forged an effective political wedge with the TFWP

The Conservatives are running circles around the Liberals on TFWP communications. Poilievre and Rempel Garner make the TFWP sound like an urgent issue impacting young workers. Meanwhile, Carney and his ministers have responded with percentages and targets. From a political standpoint, the Conservatives are much more likely to connect meaningfully with voters.

Unless Carney finds both a plan and a sharper message, one that connects emotionally with young workers, the Conservatives may be propelling Canada towards the end of the TFWP.