Under the proposed rules, temporary foreign workers will be allowed to work for any approved Canadian business in a specific sector, such as agriculture. Under current rules, workers are tied to one designated employer, so if they lose their job, they are at risk of deportation. The government said it will take submissions from interested parties for 30 days before modifying the regulations. (Globe and Mail)

Talking point: The new rules are aimed at curbing abuse that temporary foreign workers experience at the hands of some employers; one Globe story in April reported that foreign workers were pushed into human trafficking. Workers are reluctant to report being abused for fear of being deported, and risk paying fees if they return to recruiters or immigration consultants seeking a new employer and work permit. They also may work precarious jobs illegally, instead. But employers must still complete a labour-market impact assessment—an application showing that they can’t find domestic workers for a given job—before hiring a temporary worker, so the policy won’t necessarily increase the number and quality of potential employers for such workers. Employers have supported changes to help workers avoid abusive employers in the past. In 2014, business lobby groups opposed the then-government’s decision not to ban criminal employers from participating in the program.