VICTORIA, B.C. — The BC Greens are shocked by Premier Eby’s recent comments echoing the federal Conservative leader’s stance on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
BC Greens interim leader Jeremy Valeriote emphasized that the “individuals who have access to the TFWP should not be blamed for a program rife with fraud and abuse. Companies and corporations who have abused it need to be held accountable, not the migrants accessing it.”
“The Premier chose to recklessly push a narrative that blames migrants for food bank usage and youth unemployment, while presiding over an economy made more vulnerable by the government’s decisions,” added Rob Botterell, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands. “Blaming migrants is unfair when they have supported British Columbia’s economy and helped fill critical labour shortages in agriculture, hospitality, and food service for years.”
While Jobs and Economic Growth Minister Ravi Kahlon later took ownership of the Premier’s divisive comments on CBC—clarifying that he had previously appealed to the federal immigration minister about the TFWP—the government has not taken responsibility for the causes of rising food bank usage and youth unemployment.
Food Banks Canada reports that usage has increased by 90% since 2019, nationally, due to food inflation and a lack of secure housing. The report says that people with the lowest incomes, which includes those receiving provincial social assistance, spend over 80% of their disposable income on food and housing alone.
Meanwhile, youth unemployment is at a historic high in this province, university graduates are struggling to find jobs in their fields of study, and the global shift toward gig work, automation, and AI means this government must act quickly to safeguard the future of this province.
“The Premier should be showing how British Columbia can lead this country, by tackling unemployment and youth unemployment, food inflation, corporate fraud, and the housing crisis,” added Valeriote. “Fabricating false divisions between ‘us’ and ‘them’ will only distract us from the real solutions to this province’s problems.”
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Media contact
Ryan Hook
Press Secretary
BC Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | ryan.hook@leg.bc.ca