TORONTO _ Prince Edward Island's premier says he raised concerns about a drop in the number of temporary foreign workers available to work at fish plants in the province during a meeting Monday with the federal employment minister.
Wade MacLauchlan said Tuesday he expressed the growing concern among seafood processors over potential worker shortages during his meeting with Pierre Poilievre in Ottawa.
In an interview from Toronto, he said the number of foreign workers for the 2015 fishing season that begins in early May will be about 25 per cent lower than the figure allowed under the program since rules changed last June.
The premier said he's looking for flexibility to take into account the need of the fish plants.
The program was criticized last year after allegations surfaced that some employers, particularly restaurants, were abusing it and not hiring Canadians who applied for the same jobs.
Ottawa introduced new rules to be phased in by July 2016 that limit the number of temporary foreign workers that large- and medium-sized companies are permitted to hire.
Besides the cap on foreign workers a business is allowed to hire, the program also paves the way for more inspections of workplaces, greater fines for companies that abuse the program and increased application fees for employers.
A spokesperson for Poilievre's office was unavailable for comment.
