Quebec Declares New Laws to Protect Temporary Foreign Workers

The Quebec government decided to make new and enhanced laws for the protection of temporary foreign workers, which will be implemented from January 1, 2020. This system is made to save the temporary foreign workers from all the malpractices ill-treatments the employers implement on them during the recruitment process.

Permit Requirement

According to the new rules and regulations on recruitment, work, and placement agencies for foreign workers will require a permit to operate their work and recruitment procedures smoothly.

Agencies that already specialize in offering jobs to foreign workers will now have to register to the provisional committee, which is responsible for the labour standards in the province. The permit should be taken from January 1 to February 14 to continue their work effortlessly.

The CNESST (Committee on Standards, Equity, Health and Safety) will manage the entire procedure of operating the system and checking if the companies are maintaining all the rules and regulations in terms of recruiting employees.

“These rules are implemented with the sole intention that foreign workers as well as temporary employees will enjoy good recruitment and working facilities like any other employee and will have a positive outlook towards work as well” stated by Jean Boullet, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity in a press conference dictating the new measures.

Licenses or permissions on practising recruitment of a company will be taken away if any company fails to maintain them in their working procedures. The conditions which are associated with the maintenance process consist of:

• Giving a foreign employee or worker a detailed document about their work and elaborating on the working procedures involved in the client company.
• They are making sure that its workers or any person who advises, assists, or represents another person through an immigration application have the necessary accreditation.

According to these new laws, both the recruiting company as well as the client company will be held responsible for the work experience of the foreign worker. This law now will also make sure that the foreign workers will not be paid a low amount of salary compared to what is given to the staff of the client company.

The agencies will now have to deposit a total of $15000 as a security deposit for any situation which if arises, and they become unable to pay their foreign employees. All of these agencies will have to start doing from January 1, 2020.

All the employers of the foreign workers will now not be allowed to charge any extra money from them unless that is eligible according to the rules imposed by the Canadian government program.

Also, they will not be allowed to take away any of a foreign employee’s personal property, be that their passports or any other belongings of great importance. Employers will also have to provide complete details about the arrival and departure of the foreign worker to CNESST. 

This system was necessary because foreign workers make a significant contribution to the development of Quebec’s development; hence, they deserve this amount of loyalty and benefit as well.