Issues and Challenges of Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) in the Neepawa & District Area

NACTV was able to sit down with Jayvee Buhawe, Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Caseworker of the Neepawa Settlement to discuss his role and the types of support he provides to his clients including integration services, assisting them and their families with their health cards,  processing other needed documents and referring them to appropriate agencies or organizations when needed.   

The program is called Prairie Community Services for Temporary Workers. The program started in 2020 at the Neepawa Settlement in 2021. The program’s area of coverage doesn’t only include Neepawa but also Onanole, Gladstone, Glanella and Minnedosa. The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society spearheads this program and the funding comes from Employment and Social Development Canada.

He also discussed the different issues and challenges confronted by Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) he works with and mentioned that the three key issues are availability and high costs of rental housing, English language proficiency and difficulty in finding a family doctor.

He explained that TFWs have the same rights as Permanent Residents except the right to vote and hold a government position. They also have the right to access health care and their employer should be able to provide information to them about it. Their employer should also be able to help them look for decent housing and ensure a safe working environment.

When asked if he sees any gaps in some of the policies for our Temporary Foreign Workers, he thinks it would be better if there is no closed work permits because some of the TFWs whom he has worked with experience abuse when they are in a closed work permit because they can’t transfer to a different employer which makes them more vulnerable to abuse. So he was hoping that there would only be an open work permit so that if they are in an abusive employer it will be easy for them to leave their current employer and look for other jobs.

Buhawe mentioned that when the TFWs are experiencing abuse from their employers, they can go to their Union if they have a Union in their company. If they don’t have a Union, they can go directly to Manitoba Labor.