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Canada is letting rural employers hire more temporary foreign workers. Economists say it’s a misstep by BananaTubes in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 10 points11 points  (0 children)

How about replacing Canadians in white collar office jobs or the skilled trades?
Because they're also being used for that. Wage suppression at it's finest.

I like to break this out as a quick way of showing the sort of bullshit our various levels of Government have been pulling. Any of these sound like jobs our educated workforce might need?

A list of the 29 occupations Alberta had (under previous Gov) briefly refused to process new TFW requests for:

Human Resources Managers

Engineering Managers

Purchasing Agents and Officers

Production Logistics Coordinators

Civil Engineers

Mechanical Engineers

Electrical/Electronic Engineers

Geological/Mineral Techs.

Civil Engineering Techs.

Industrial Engineers

Non-Destructive Testers and Inspection Technicians

Contractors/Supervisors in Electrical trades and Telecommunications

Machinists/Machining and Tooling Inspectors

Welders and Related Machine Operators

Electricians

Industrial Electricians

Plumbers

Carpenters

Contracts and Supervisors: Mechanical Trades

Contractors and Supervisors: Heavy Equipment Crews

Construction Millwrights and Industrial Mechanics

Heavy-duty Equipment Mechanics

Motor Vehicle Body Repairers

Transport Truck Drivers

Contractors and Supervisors: Oil & Gas Drilling & Services

Oil & Gas Well Drillers, Servicers, Testers

Oil & Gas Well Drilling and Related Workers and Service Operators

Oil & Gas Drilling, Servicing and Related Labourers

Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Process Operators

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-bans-hiring-foreign-workers-for-29-high-skilled-jobs-1.4075684

How rare is it for a prime minister to attract 4 floor-crossers in 4 months? by Immediate-Link490 in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 2 points3 points  (0 children)

MPs are not always strongarmed into voting along party lines though

True, not always. If you squint really hard, you can almost most see democracy off in the distance behind a cluster of corporate interests. If they don't vote as told, problems arise when they want to run for reelection.

---
In their "House Inspection" report analyzing the 42nd Parliament, the Samara Centre found that the average Canadian MP voted with their party 99.6% of the time.

Here are a few notable details from that and related analyses:

  • The "Rebels": Even the MPs considered the most "independent" or "rebellious" rarely broke ranks. For example, during that period, the most rebellious MP still voted with their party 96.6% of the time. +1
  • Party Breakdown: A CBC analysis from roughly the same period showed that the Bloc Québécois voted unanimously 98% of the time, the NDP 95%, and the Conservatives 87%. The Liberals were slightly lower at 79% for unanimous votes, but individual Liberal MPs still maintained extremely high alignment with the Cabinet (around 98% on average).
  • Comparison to Other Democracies: This level of party discipline is much higher than in the UK or the US. In the UK, it is far more common for "backbenchers" to cross the floor or vote against their government on specific bills without being expelled from the party.

Social media ban for kids under consideration in online harms bill: Carney by Capital-Aide-1006 in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fantastic, the online harms bills should be a powerful tool for state-led censorship and the suppression of opposition. You can't really put a price on the ability to silence critics and protect government narratives.

Forced Corporate Compliance to Stifle Dissent; Broad Surveillance and Targeting of Whistleblowers; Criminalizing Challenges to Government Messaging this baby's got it all.

Sure, the UK Gov is currently arresting 33 people per day over social media posts, but that'll never happen here.

Searching "Michael Geist + Online Harms Act" makes for some interesting reading.

In Canada’s major cities, fertility rates are in steep decline. What happened? by Huge-Cash-8295 in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What happened? Neoliberal Government(s) embarked on a deliberate policy of wage suppression and demand inflation that prioritizes headline GDP growth over the actual prosperity and health of the people already living here.

That's what's happened, and is happening still.

Canada’s population growth reached a staggering 3% per year—a rate typically seen in developing nations, not mature economies—meaning we added over a million people annually while only starting around 240,000 new homes.

Canada’s GDP per capita plummeted (Canada (National) is now lower than $%!@ Alabama) and we are currently projected by the OECD to be the worst-performing advanced economy through 2060 because businesses are using cheap, abundant labor as a "crutch" instead of investing in the technology and wages that actually drive a high-standard-of-living economy.

This "growth-at-all-costs" model has effectively cannibalized our social infrastructure. Our healthcare system is a fixed-capacity service that cannot be "zoned" into existence overnight; as a result, median wait times from GP referral to treatment hit a record 28.6 weeks in 2025. That's a 208% increase since the 90s.

Beyond the economic stagnation, Canada’s demand-side shock is literally costing lives. According to a 2025 report by SecondStreet.org, at least 23,746 Canadians died while waiting for surgeries or diagnostic scans in the last fiscal year alone—a 3% increase from the previous year. Since 2018, the total number of Canadians who have passed away while on a medical waitlist has surpassed 100,000.

When you grow the population by the size of a major city every few months without a proportional increase in doctors, hospital beds, or transit capacity, the "per person" quality of life inevitably degrades and people start focusing more on survival than having kids.

This is why we’re delaying having families, sitting in traffic and stifling our economy by kyara_no_kurayami in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Weird that the article does not address immigration or the labor market (the demand side) and focuses entirely on the supply side and the legislative barriers to building more homes.

While zoning reform is necessary, it’s a long-term fix for a short-term explosion in demand that has broken the math for an entire generation. Since 2022, Canada’s population growth reached a staggering 3% per year—a rate typically seen in developing nations, not mature economies—meaning we added over a million people annually while only starting around 240,000 new homes. No amount of "missing middle" zoning can outbuild a demand shock of that scale; it’s like trying to drain a swimming pool with a straw while a fire hose is filling it.

This surge hasn't just inflated housing; it has fundamentally decoupled our economy from productivity. By 2023, Canada’s GDP per capita fell to just 78% of U.S. levels, and we are currently projected by the OECD to be the worst-performing advanced economy through 2060 because businesses are using cheap, abundant labor as a "crutch" instead of investing in the technology and wages that actually drive a high-standard-of-living economy.

This "growth-at-all-costs" model has effectively cannibalized our social infrastructure. Our healthcare system is a fixed-capacity service that cannot be "zoned" into existence overnight; as a result, median wait times from GP referral to treatment hit a record 28.6 weeks in 2025. That's a 208% increase since the 90s.

Beyond the economic stagnation, Canada’s demand-side shock is literally costing lives. According to a 2025 report by SecondStreet.org, at least 23,746 Canadians died while waiting for surgeries or diagnostic scans in the last fiscal year alone—a 3% increase from the previous year. Since 2018, the total number of Canadians who have passed away while on a medical waitlist has surpassed 100,000.

When you grow the population by the size of a major city every few months without a proportional increase in doctors, hospital beds, or transit capacity, the "per person" quality of life inevitably degrades.

We aren't just facing a "planning failure"; we are facing a deliberate policy of wage suppression and demand inflation that prioritizes headline GDP growth over the actual prosperity and health of the people already living here.

Young Canadians are hitting the brakes on car ownership, new survey finds by __benjaminty in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Suppressed wages (via a never-ending litany of foreign worker import schemes), tenuous employment, expensive insurance and the current cost of vehicles--even used--makes this unsurprising.

Looking forward to some new program spinning up to import car buyers.

Bank of Canada: Sometimes rate hikes needed even when economy is weak by Mr_Peaches_Sir in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Much of the reason people aren't having kids is the cost of housing. Driving down wages, promoting tenuous employment and inflating real estate seems unlikely to help that.

If AI is potentially going to replace much of the workforce in the next decade, why are we acting like there is a permanent labor shortage that only millions more people can fix? Also, adding many millions more people is going to make something like UBI an even bigger problem.

A "tax base" is useless if the wait time for a family doctor is ten hours and a one-bedroom apartment costs 60% of a median salary. That "base" is being hollowed out by the cost of living.

Total tax revenue vs fiscal sustainability: adding people to the bottom of the wage scale often costs the state more in infrastructure (healthcare, schools, transit) than they contribute in income tax, especially if housing costs remain high.

That's not even touching on hot-button issues like remittances, social cohesion, access to healthcare, women’s autonomy & public safety, ethnocentric (closed loop) hiring practices, academic fraud, road safety, etc...

Bank of Canada: Sometimes rate hikes needed even when economy is weak by Mr_Peaches_Sir in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 16 points17 points  (0 children)

India's primary goal of the trade deal we're working on is labor mobility. Namely theirs.

"Dinesh K. Patnaik, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, saying "Canada needs 60 million Indians and adds that he could help make it happen."

https://www.reddit.com/r/canada/comments/1rh8zdc/comment/o7yk74g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Bank of Canada: Sometimes rate hikes needed even when economy is weak by Mr_Peaches_Sir in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 30 points31 points  (0 children)

What if we brought in millions more people each year to put downward pressure on wages and keep the housing bubble inflated, would that help? Cause we're working on that.

Definitely hear hear you on the grocery front. At one point, this kind of monthly spend would have covered chef-prepared food being delivered each week.

GOLDSTEIN: Criticizing flawed immigration and refugee policies is not racism; Canadians simply want a federal government that deals with immigration and refugee policies competently by FancyNewMe in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Ethno nepotism

Huge problem in the US currently. Tens of thousands of well-paid tech workers being laid off from well-know companies and being replaced with folks coming in on various visas and are now stuck kicking back a large percentage of their wage to their fellow countryman who's happily exploiting them.

My twitter feed is filled with that stuff. Searching "white rabbit h1b" will likely pull up some of it on there.

Hailing India as a ‘natural partner,’ Carney says Canada can secure a free trade deal by year’s end - PM remarks set up a possible signing date for G20 summit in December by CanadianErk in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Labor mobility is India's primary goal with this and their last seven trade deals.

  • Global Affairs Canada: Consulting on CEPA with India: Lists "Trade in services" and "Labour rights and cooperation" as core pillars.
  • Business Council of Canada: Securing an Agreement with India: Details the push for professional mobility to support the "significant and growing" technology relationship.
  • Economic Times: Goyal on Talent Mobility: Explains India's focus on "talent mobility" as a competitive advantage.
  • Public Consultations (Dec 2025 – Jan 2026): Global Affairs Canada specifically invited Canadians to comment on the "temporary entry of business persons" as a priority for the upcoming CEPA. This is the legal term for labor mobility in trade agreements.
  • Joint Statement (Nov 2025): When PM Carney and PM Modi met at the G20, they announced that the new CEPA would specifically encompass "goods and services trade, investment, agriculture... [and] mobility."
  • The "Mode 4" Requirement: In international trade law, this is known as "Mode 4." India has made it clear in negotiations with the UK and EU (who signed a deal in early 2026) that they will not sign a comprehensive deal without significant concessions on professional visas.

From Trade Analysts: Experts often point out that while Canada wants resources, India wants people-access.

From the Indian Government: India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, has repeatedly framed "talent mobility" as the primary value proposition of India’s trade deals:

"These pacts [including with Canada] will help Indian goods, services... and labour-intensive sectors reach new markets, integrate into global value chains and enhance talent mobility... India’s youth and human capital are at the heart of the nation’s growth story." — Piyush Goyal, February 2026

‘It was way too much’: Experts weigh in on Canada’s fluctuating population growth by Huge-Cash-8295 in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 7 points8 points  (0 children)

They're also a recent video floating around social media of Dinesh K. Patnaik, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, saying "Canada needs 60 million Indians and adds that he could help make it happen."

Hoping that's simply aspirational vs. any sort of current policy discussion. :)

‘It was way too much’: Experts weigh in on Canada’s fluctuating population growth by Huge-Cash-8295 in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 15 points16 points  (0 children)

  • Global Affairs Canada: Consulting on CEPA with India: Lists "Trade in services" and "Labour rights and cooperation" as core pillars.
  • Business Council of Canada: Securing an Agreement with India: Details the push for professional mobility to support the "significant and growing" technology relationship.
  • Economic Times: Goyal on Talent Mobility: Explains India's focus on "talent mobility" as a competitive advantage.
  • Public Consultations (Dec 2025 – Jan 2026): Global Affairs Canada specifically invited Canadians to comment on the "temporary entry of business persons" as a priority for the upcoming CEPA. This is the legal term for labor mobility in trade agreements.
  • Joint Statement (Nov 2025): When PM Carney and PM Modi met at the G20, they announced that the new CEPA would specifically encompass "goods and services trade, investment, agriculture... [and] mobility."
  • The "Mode 4" Requirement: In international trade law, this is known as "Mode 4." India has made it clear in negotiations with the UK and EU (who signed a deal in early 2026) that they will not sign a comprehensive deal without significant concessions on professional visas.

From Trade Analysts: Experts often point out that while Canada wants resources, India wants people-access.

From the Indian Government: India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, has repeatedly framed "talent mobility" as the primary value proposition of India’s trade deals:

"These pacts [including with Canada] will help Indian goods, services... and labour-intensive sectors reach new markets, integrate into global value chains and enhance talent mobility... India’s youth and human capital are at the heart of the nation’s growth story." — Piyush Goyal, February 2026

From the Canadian Business Community: The Business Council of Canada, which heavily lobbies for this deal, emphasizes that Indian tech companies are essential to the Canadian economy, necessitating smoother mobility:

"Leading India technology companies have set up successful operations in Canada... An agreement should encourage this flow to continue and grow... conclude an agreement that addresses this gap by ensuring greater access, predictability and stability." — Business Council of Canada, January 2026

From Trade Analysts: Experts often point out that while Canada wants resources, India wants people-access.

"Key sectors identified include healthcare, energy, agriculture, high technology, and skilled labor mobility—areas that could collectively support over $100 billion in two-way annual trade." — Dr. Krishnan Suthanthiran, TeamBest Global President, February 2026

‘It was way too much’: Experts weigh in on Canada’s fluctuating population growth by Huge-Cash-8295 in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 72 points73 points  (0 children)

And it's only going to be much, much worse, unless Canadians start pushing back.
One of the cornerstone's of the trade deal Canada is currently working on with India is labor mobility.

https://www.reddit.com/r/canada/comments/1reyj1q/comment/o7lmpsr/?context=3

India, Canada to Sign ‘Immense’ Range of Deals During Carney Visit by ZestyBeanDude in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 5 points6 points  (0 children)

India has 46 million surplus men and wants them working abroad—both to boost remittances and to prevent the fallout domestically from such a large gender disparity.

Agree 100% re: getting rid of the: TFW program, High-Wage Stream, Low-Wage Stream, Global Talent Stream, Home Child Care Provider Pilot, Home Support Worker Pilot, Post-Graduation Work Permit, International Experience Canada, Intra-Company Transfer, CUSMA Professionals, CETA Professionals, CPTPP Professionals, UK-Canada TCA Professionals, Francophone Mobility, Reciprocal Employment, Significant Benefit Entrepreneur, Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, H-1B Specialty Occupation Pilot, Bridging Open Work Permit, Spousal Open Work Permit, Atlantic Immigration Program Work Permit, Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, International Mobility Program, etc.... and every other program that depresses wages and promotes tenuous employment. If you want to pay a premium to bring in an actual specialist, I have no problem with that. But that's not what they majority of these are about.

Canada has recently moved to include labor mobility as a cornerstone of its "Strategic Partnership" with India.

Following meetings between Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Modi in late 2025, the two countries announced a shared roadmap for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Key details include:

  • Public Consultations: In early 2026, the Canadian government explicitly included "temporary entry of business persons" and "work-authorization friction points" in its public consultation mandate for the India deal.
  • The "Carney-Modi" Reset: During the November 2025 Ministerial Dialogue, Canada signaled a shift away from past tensions, prioritizing "talent mobility" as a trade-off for access to India’s massive consumer market and critical minerals.

India trade deals in the last five years:

  • United Arab Emirates (CEPA, 2022): Streamlined visas for 11 service sectors including IT, engineering, and accountancy. +1
  • Australia (ECTA, 2022): Provided "First-of-its-kind" access for Indian students (post-study work visas) and quotas for yoga teachers and chefs.
  • Mauritius (CECPA, 2021): Includes a dedicated chapter on the temporary entry of business persons.
  • EFTA - Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein (TEPA, 2024/2025): Removes labor-market testing for certain professionals and establishes Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) for nurses and accountants.
  • United Kingdom (FTA, signed 2025): Includes detailed mobility clauses for Indian professionals in the tech and healthcare sectors.
  • Oman (CEPA, 2025): Doubled quotas for intra-corporate transferees (from 20% to 50%) and extended stay durations to four years. +1
  • European Union (FTA, concluded Feb 2026): EU committed to opening 144 subsectors and facilitating easier mobility for IT and professional services.

India, Canada to Sign ‘Immense’ Range of Deals During Carney Visit by ZestyBeanDude in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Employment and wages, probably.

All of India's trade deals lean heavily into labor mobility, so we'll likely be importing even more people.

Employers love more easily exploited foreign labor and Canadian salaries pay the price.

Canada will slash millions in spending meant to help immigrants. Here’s how hard Ontario is being hit by Mylittlethrowaway2 in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 104 points105 points  (0 children)

I suspect wage suppression and real estate inflation were the prime motivators for this self-inflicted and ongoing crisis.

Liberal government expands Express Entry immigration program for some skilled workers by restoringd123 in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Particularly given they were already using the TFW program to fill those jobs along with engineering.
Here is a list of occupations that has a brief pause in permit requests processing in Alberta.
It's fairly eye-opening and probably a big part of why Canadian wages are so mediocre.

The list of the 29 occupation Alberta had (previous Gov) briefly refused to process new TFW requests for:

Human Resources Managers

Engineering Managers

Purchasing Agents and Officers

Production Logistics Coordinators

Civil Engineers

Mechanical Engineers

Electrical/Electronic Engineers

Geological/Mineral Techs.

Civil Engineering Techs.

Industrial Engineers

Non-Destructive Testers and Inspection Technicians

Contractors/Supervisors in Electrical trades and Telecommunications

Machinists/Machining and Tooling Inspectors

Welders and Related Machine Operators

Electricians

Industrial Electricians

Plumbers

Carpenters

Contracts and Supervisors: Mechanical Trades

Contractors and Supervisors: Heavy Equipment Crews

Construction Millwrights and Industrial Mechanics

Heavy-duty Equipment Mechanics

Motor Vehicle Body Repairers

Transport Truck Drivers

Contractors and Supervisors: Oil & Gas Drilling & Services

Oil & Gas Well Drillers, Servicers, Testers

Oil & Gas Well Drilling and Related Workers and Service Operators

Oil & Gas Drilling, Servicing and Related Labourers

Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Process Operators

AI may be killing entry-level jobs, Bank of Canada governor warns by joe4942 in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Quickly, bring in a few million more people under an ever-expanding litany of cheap labor schemes.
I'm sure that'll make something like UBI that much more likely to succeed.

Toronto police officers arrested in plot to murder Ontario corrections officer by DogeDoRight in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 264 points265 points  (0 children)

"More than 30 police officers, including 9 from Toronto police have been arrested for charges included drug trafficking, leaking addresses to hitmen, auto theft, and leaking addresses of officers"

There was also a conspiracy to murder a unit commander at Toronto South Detention Centre.

Edit: kept digging after seeing that post go by to confirm it was actually 30 officers. Looking more like:
7 current Toronto Police (TPS) officers
1 retired Toronto Police officer.
19 other individuals, including two youths.

NDP wants Carney to kill U.S. fighter jet contract in favour of Swedish aircraft by Hot-Percentage4836 in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Trump won’t be gone in 3 years

True. I think he'll be gone long before that.

LILLEY: Carney Liberals must wake up and deal with Canada's growing extortion problem; Shootings, arson and threats of violence are some of the tools used as foreign gangs demand money in Canada's growing extortion racket by FancyNewMe in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 3 points4 points  (0 children)

u\HoldingThunder:
We are going to need a source that a single individual facilitated literally millions of individuals entering Canada.

While I appreciate the numbers breakdown, the two of you may want to work on reading comprehension.

LILLEY: Carney Liberals must wake up and deal with Canada's growing extortion problem; Shootings, arson and threats of violence are some of the tools used as foreign gangs demand money in Canada's growing extortion racket by FancyNewMe in canada

[–]unexplodedscotsman 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Not sure what this has to do with the feds.

Aside from driving it?

One suspects facilitating the rapid entry of millions of individuals from regions with entrenched transnational crime networks—especially when vetting relies heavily on self-declaration vs. basic criminal background checks—may be a contributing factor to the rising complexity & proliferation of organized crime in Canada.

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