Trucking’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program: Promise Amid Pitfalls
Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program stands at a crossroads. While designed to help trucking companies fill labor gaps, widespread abuse threatens to derail what industry insiders describe as a potentially valuable initiative.
The program currently faces scrutiny amid what experts call rampant exploitation of foreign drivers. Immigration consultants and unethical fleet operators have transformed the system into what the United Nations has condemned as “a breeding ground for contemporary slavery.”
Foreign drivers often pay exorbitant fees for Labor Market Impact Assessments that employers should cover, while being forced into unsafe equipment and illegal operations. The ongoing freight recession has temporarily masked the industry’s persistent labor shortage, but insiders warn the need for drivers will inevitably return.
“Some of the best drivers I’ve worked with came through that program,” said Doug Walton, senior advisor with the Alberta Motor Transport Association. “A lot of them are now proud Canadian citizens who have built great lives for themselves and their families.”
Trevor Bent, CEO of Eassons Transport, echoes this sentiment. His company has participated since 2012, with three original foreign workers still employed there today. Other participants have become owner-operators and business owners, Bent told reporters.
Ethical industry leaders are calling for reform rather than abolition. They recommend pre-vetting employers, implementing ongoing audits, and establishing stricter penalties for violations.
“The ones who suffer most are those who’ve sold everything for a chance at a better life, only to be misled, exploited, and sent home with nothing,” Walton explained. “That’s not the Canada we should be.”
Compliant carriers fear that continued abuse could trigger an overreaction from policymakers, potentially eliminating a program they view as valuable when properly managed. They argue the TFW program should be fixed rather than scrapped entirely.
As the industry anticipates the inevitable return of driver shortages, the call grows louder for meaningful reform that preserves opportunities while preventing exploitation.