When I worked at Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, under Monte McNaughton, immigration was one of my core responsibilities. I am proud of that work.
I had the privilege of helping advance policies that expanded economic opportunity, accelerated foreign credential recognition and supported newcomers seeking to build better lives in our province.
Done responsibly, strategic immigration enriches our communities, strengthens our economy and reflects a longstanding tradition of welcoming those who arrive seeking security, opportunity and a chance to contribute.
That is precisely why I believe Minister of Labour David Piccini and Premier Doug Ford deserve credit for their recent decision not to take part in federal measures that would further expand access to low-wage temporary foreign workers in rural Ontario.
The province is not against temporary foreign workers writ large, nor am I.
This program is clearly an economic necessity.
The position taken by Piccini and Ford is about balance.
The province has argued that, with youth unemployment sitting above 15 per cent, one of our core obligations should be ensuring young Ontarians can find work and build careers, even as we support employers facing genuine labour needs. That is a reasonable position and one worthy of serious consideration.
Young people are struggling to find meaningful work. Rural communities continue to lose talent to larger urban centres. Building a family is becoming increasingly difficult as housing, taxes and everyday costs continue to rise.
Employers face labour shortages not simply because there are too few people, but because too many communities have become unaffordable and too few young families feel confident about putting down roots.
The question, then, is what governments should do to create the right conditions for broader economic opportunity.
A healthy economy should not force us to choose between welcoming newcomers and investing in our own people. We can and must do both.
The better long-term solution is to create conditions where more Ontarians can participate in the workforce, more families can afford to raise children and more young people can see a future in the communities where they grew up.
That starts with making life more affordable.
Governments should continue reducing barriers to homeownership, lowering the tax burden on working families, especially income tax and creating an environment where businesses can invest and grow.
When families are confident they can afford a home, support their children and build a future, they are more likely to stay in smaller communities and contribute to local economies.
It also means restoring dignity to entry-level work.
Many successful careers begin with jobs in restaurants, farms, retail stores, construction sites, manufacturing facilities and local small businesses. Those jobs teach responsibility, discipline, customer service and the value of hard work. Previous generations viewed these positions not as undesirable obligations but as stepping stones toward adulthood and opportunity.
We should want our young people to fill those roles.
That will require employers, educators, communities and governments working together to reconnect youth with workforce opportunities. It will require stronger pathways into the skilled trades, internships, apprenticeships and local employment. And it will require a renewed belief that every honest job has value.
At the same time, we should remain committed to welcoming immigrants who choose Ontario as their home. Immigration works best when it reflects mutual responsibility: when newcomers are given a chance to contribute and integrate into Canada’s economy, and when Canada provides an opportunity to belong, prosper and participate fully in national life.
Too often, Canada’s immigration debate is framed as a choice between being pro-immigration or anti-immigration. That is a false choice.
The real question is what role immigration should play in our economic model.
The goal should never be to rely indefinitely on temporary labour while neglecting the people already here. Nor should it be to close our doors to those seeking a better future and who are prepared to work hard and contribute to Canada.
The goal should be strong families, thriving communities and an economy that gives people a real chance to succeed.
Piccini and Ford’s position has sparked an important conversation. Reasonable people can disagree about where the balance lies.
But the broader point deserves attention.
Before expanding access to temporary labour, we should ask whether we are doing enough to help our own young people enter the workforce and whether public policy relies too heavily on temporary labour to address workforce shortages.
That is not a rejection of immigration.
It is an affirmation of what immigration was always meant to be: a strength that enhances our society, not a substitute for building one capable of sustaining itself. Given youth unemployment is up at 15 per cent, I would say we need to do much more to restore that balance.
Wellington Advocacy is a national public affairs firm. Benjamin Lamb serves clients through Wellington’s Ontario Business Line, specializing in labour advocacy. Send Industry Perspectives Op-Ed comments and column ideas to [email protected].
