Expert ‘taken aback’ by Eby foreign worker claims, says axing program won’t fix woes

An immigration expert says ending the temporary foreign worker program won’t solve “deep structural problems” with housing and other issues in British Columbia, while having “problematic consequences” for labour availability.

Irene Bloemraad, co-director of the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of British Columbia, says calls to scrap or reform the program are an “easy way” to distract from a lack of affordable housing and other woes.

Her remarks come after Premier David Eby and federal Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre both suggested axing the program this week, linking it to youth unemployment and other problems.

Bloemraad says housing prices will not “magically go down” if temporary foreign workers or international students were to stop coming to B.C. tomorrow.

Eby ack