OUTSOURCING, FOREIGN WORKERS AND DOMESTIC UNEMPLOYMENT

What the hell kind of a government sets up opportunities for their business community to export jobs, import foreign workers, negotiate trade deals good for corporations but lethal to Canadians and finally tighten the eligibility for unemployment insurance all in a climate of recession? If you said Canada's federal government, you're a winner.

Today's Waterloo Region Record has an opinion piece by Carol Goar titled "Harper must crack down to defuse public anger over foreign workers". Ms. Goar advises the following course of action for our prime Minister: employers must demonstrate they've conducted a serious search for Canadian applicants before permitting them to bring in foreign workers. A two week psuedo search is not a serious search. Revoke the policy rewarding employers with a 15% wage reduction below the prevailing wage for foreign workers. Toughen penalties for employers abusing the program. Enforce the rules and penalties for those same employers breaking them. Permit foreign workers only into fields with acute labour shortages. There are no shortages in Canada for gas station attendants, truck drivers, restaurant, fast food outlets and convenience stores. 330,000 foreign workers per year above and beyond immigration levels is just plain criminal in this economy. Multi generational Canadians whose parents and grandparents have built this country are out of work because of employer greed and politicians gutlessness.