At a press conference in Surrey on Thursday morning, B.C. Premier David Eby issued a stern call for the end of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program.
Eby’s comments about the program were in response to a question from a reporter during a conference about Surrey school infrastructure.
“As we face these economic headwinds, there should be one priority for government,” Eby said.
“It is making sure that Canadians are protected and looked after, and in particular that young people have a strong economic future in our country,” he continued.
After his opening remarks, Eby embarked on a strong condemnation of the program, saying that it should either be cancelled entirely or significantly reformed.
“Here in British Columbia, we see an unacceptably high level of unemployment among young people, which has been linked both to the international student visa program as well as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program,” Eby added.
In 2024, the federal government announced changes to the TFW Program; however, according to Eby and many B.C. residents and Canadians who have engaged on the issue on social media, more needs to be done.
“We can’t have an immigration system that fills up our homeless shelters and our food banks. We can’t have an immigration system that outpaces our ability to build schools and housing. And we can’t have an immigration program that results in high youth unemployment.”
Eby said that the prime minister has taken some good steps to “rein this in” but added there’s “a lot more to do.”
Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre has also been firing shots at Prime Minister Mark Carney about the TFW Program.
Pandemic aside, Canada now has the highest share of long-term unemployment in nearly 30 years.
Mark Carney just gave the middle finger to Canadians desperate for work. He said he won’t scrap the TFW program because multinational corporations told him they want to keep it.…
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) September 3, 2025
Eby also said he’d be open to inviting premiers from across the country to B.C. to discuss the issue.
Challenges with the program
Earlier this year, we spoke with Regal Grooming Lounge about the challenges the shop was facing.
Angelo Khoshaba, the founder of Regal Grooming Lounge, put out an impassioned message on social media earlier this year about the program.
“Some of our incredible barbers are facing something deeply unfair — and it’s happening quietly, without the attention it deserves,” the video caption read.
Four of his top workers have been informed that they need to leave, without having received an update on their extension applications.
In response to that story, many readers shared their sentiments about the program, and most did not side with the lounge.
“If your permit is up, it’s up. We don’t care how good of work you are, and chances are if your permit is up, you AREN’T actually paying your taxes,” one reader said.
“You can’t just show up and work and stay in other countries,” read another comment.
“Do not stay illegally. Millions of job losses for Canadians and housing problems, because people don’t want to obey the law,” said another reader.
What are your thoughts on Eby’s comments about the program?
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