Quebec is partly to blame for delays with temporary foreign workers, says Ottawa

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau responded to complaints from Quebec’s Labor Minister Jean Boulet that Ottawa took too long to process the files.

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The federal government acknowledged on Tuesday that delays in processing temporary foreign workers are getting longer, but added that in some cases those delays are due to Quebec.

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In an interview with Presse Canadienne, Federal Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau responded to complaints made a day earlier by Quebec Labor Minister Jean Boulet that Ottawa was too slow when it came to processing files. of temporary foreign workers.

Bibeau said that in certain cases, such as those where employers were looking for workers for a chicken processing plant, it was Ottawa that waited for Quebec to complete the process.

The agriculture minister also quickly rejected a request by Boulet that Quebec take over the temporary foreign worker program, saying immigration remains a federal jurisdiction.

However, Bibeau said both levels of government “are working well together,” citing the decision to increase the level of foreign workers allowed for the company’s workforce in certain sectors from 10 percent to 20 percent.