I’ve had very little to say about most of Canada’s politicians over the last several years that was positive, and every new batch seems to find a new way to remind me that that’s probably an accurate way to view them. I mean, I mocked Steven Harper, I criticized Dalton Mcguinty and his replacement, in between lengths of time where I forgot this thing existed I’ve bitched about Doug Ford, and Trudeau practically mocks himself so even if I were writing about him daily I wouldn’t need to do much. But as low as my opinion is of most politicians and nearly all politics in Canada, even I didn’t expect the folks we pretend are actually qualified to run a country to be actively hostile to the development of that country. Colour me surprised, then.
Businesses’ demand for temporary foreign workers has surged across the country in recent years, with employers given the green light to hire more than double the people through the federal program last year as they did five years ago.
The program is designed to provide short-term relief to employers as a last resort, but has been scrutinized for its potential knock-on effects to the broader economy and the vulnerable position in which it can place workers.
Last year, employers were cleared to hire 239,646 temporary foreign workers, about the population of Regina. That’s up from 108,988 in 2018, according to figures published by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
The program’s growth coincided with the government loosening hiring restrictions to help businesses with post-pandemic labour shortages. Some economists criticized that move, saying it undermined healthy competition for workers in a market economy.
“All we hear about are labour shortages, [but] we have to begin to recognize that this really is a self-serving narrative mostly coming from corporate Canada,” said Mikal Skuterud, a labour economics professor at the University of Waterloo.
If we build it, employers will bring them. that’s the takeaway from this–and the current batch of politicians loves to see it.
The pandemic was a once-in-a-lifetime event (the second or third such event I lived through, apparently), and yeah it caused problems. Supply tapped the breaks and demand floored the gas. Cool. That happens. So now we should be coming out of it, right? If your career depends on the answer to that question, then that is the wrong answer. Supply has taken its foot off the break in some areas, and is easing off in others, but we as a country are doing our level best to shove demand’s gas pedal through the floor. The end result looks kinda like this.
New projections by Statistics Canada suggest the nation’s population could reach 63 million by 2073, with the number of people aged 85 or older set to triple.
The agency says migration will be the key driver of population increase under all scenarios, while natural growth only plays a “marginal role” as the population ages and fertility rates remain low.
It says the population will rise from about 40 million in 2023 to a range of 47 million to 87 million over the next half a century, with 63 million being the medium-growth forecast.
We’re not building enough houses for the folks we’re bringing in. We’re not creating enough jobs for the folks we’re bringing in. We’re not building enough infrastructure for the folks we’re bringing in. Because we can’t (anti-paywall link). Our economy wasn’t built to support this kind of population increase–even if you ignore the fact that large parts of our economy appear to be tied up in real estate. And our politicians and the corporate ass kissers who love them are here for it.
Welcome to the new Canada. If you weren’t in already, you’re out for good. Join the club.