First, they came for the International students … blaming them for crowded colleges/university classes, apartment shortages, high rents and lack of jobs for young Canadians.
So the federal government proudly announced it would cap the number of foreign students admitted into Canada.
“Refugees and Citizenship Canada has said it will issue 437,000 permits to foreign students in 2025, down from 650,000 in 2023,” the Vancouver Sun reported.
“The drop in the number of applications received in 2025 is “a clear sign that the measures we’ve put in place are working,” said Laura Blondeau, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Lena Diab.”
They’re working allright … but not as planned!
“Over 5,000 higher education jobs in Canada have been cut since the government clamped down on study permit numbers – with Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec the hardest hit,” the international education forum The Pie reported.
“Faculty at some B.C. post-secondary institutions return to mass layoffs,” CTV headlined last Tuesday.
Vancouver Community College just laid off 31 more staff … its third round of job cuts this year; Langara College fired 69 more … on top of 150 job cuts in two previous layoffs.
“You have to remember international students aren’t paying $2,000 a semester for tuition. They’re paying $10,000 or more a semester. So this is a huge revenue for numbers,” the BC Students Federation explained.
Kwantlen College reported almost 60 per cent fewer international students this Fall, “compared to Fall 2023, with just 2,360 expected to enroll in the upcoming semester.”
““Unfortunately, the continued international enrolment decline means revenue this year is now projected to be $5 to 10 million lower than forecast in the 2025-26 budget,” said KPU Acting President Diane Purvey. “With universities in B.C. mandated to operate without deficits, KPU must make difficult decisions to decrease expenses to align with our significantly lower revenues,” Daily Hive Business and Tech told its readers.
“Decreases in international students are impacting some parts of the university more significantly than others. This has included reduced operating budgets and staff reductions in some units,” said Ramsey, noting that UBC’s Applied Science department has been affected,” added The Sun.
One estimate placed Simon Fraser University’s financial loss in tuition alone at $21 million … and, the total tuition losses at institutions across Canada at more than $1 Billion.
And that does not include the billions more in spending losses off campus by foreign students … money that Canadian businesses especially cannot afford to lose during our current economic crisis.
Well, with all those foreign students being barred, at least rents must be coming down?
“We are seeing a bit of a softening at the higher end, but the people who are really in crisis, and this is a crisis predominantly for low-income working-class renters, those people are just not seeing the results of these kinds of, of these reported decreases,” the Vancouver Tenants Union told Global News.
Turns out an accompanying federal ban on foreign housing investors has resulted in unsold potential rental units and postponed/canceled new housing projects that would increase supply.
And by cutting international students, and subsequently also cutting spaces/staff/courses at higher education institutions BC and Canada have lost a lot more than money.
The thousands of young people who have come from overseas to study here have also been a highly rewarding source of recruitment for Canadian companies looking for permanent educated, professional graduates … badly needed in BC/Canada but now severely cut back.
As if that wasn’t enough, governments … provincial and federal … now want temporary foreign workers gone too!
“British Columbia Premier David Eby is calling on the federal government to make major changes to the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program — or to scrap it outright,” Global BC reported Thursday.
““Here in British Columbia, we see an unacceptably high level of unemployment among young people, which has been linked both to the international student visa program as well as the temporary foreign worker program,” Eby said.
Well, Canada did lose 66,000 jobs last month; 16,000 of them in BC.
But are foreign students and foreign workers really the problem?
“Statistics Canada said B.C.’s job losses were mainly among men aged 25 to 54,” AM1150 revealed.
Those don’t sound like student jobs to me!
“In B.C, the unemployment rate for students in August was 16.5 per cent, down more than two percentage points from the same time last year,” Global BC reported.
( In July, it was 12.1 per cent, below the national rate of 14.6 per cent, Statistics Canada figures show.)
In other words, better.
Looks to me like international students are being scapegoated!
And in addition to international students, immigrants, are also now being targeted.
“We can’t have an immigration system that fills up our homeless shelters and our food banks. We can’t have an immigration system that outpaces our ability to build schools and housing. And we can’t have an immigration program that results in high youth unemployment,” Eby was quoted by the CBC.
So, it’s immigrants who “fill up” our homeless shelters and our food banks ??? And it’s immigrants who are the reason for “high youth unemployment” ???
A 2024 report by Food Banks BC, did say “26 per cent of food bank users identified as immigrants or refugees with the figure rising to 39 per cent in the Vancouver coastal region. The report did not identify whether users were temporary foreign workers,” according to the Vancouver Sun.
I don’t see singling out immigrants, whether 26% … or even 39% …as being responsible for “filling up” food banks as fair, especially if the numbers of refugees are not also identified/taken into account.
Again, looks like scapegoating to me!
Let’s keep it real: temporary foreign workers do many of the jobs our own unemployed … 25 to 54 … don’t want to do … and, NO, we can’t force Canadians to take those jobs labouring in the fields, in rural/remote places, at fast food outlets, car washes, manual labour or for relatively lower wages.
But on that issue, Eby has an ally … Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
“Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wants the federal government to axe the temporary foreign worker program, saying it has flooded the market with cheap labour and made it harder for young Canadians to find work,” the CBC reported Wednesday.
Poilievre offered an alternative to help Canada’s farmers:
“The Conservatives say that while they want the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program scrapped, they will create a separate, standalone program for legitimately difficult-to-fill agricultural labour.”
No doubt, where employers are exploiting foreign workers or part-time student employees (domestic or foreign) provincial and federal governments MUST act … but don’t blame the victims.
Temporary foreign workers and international students contribute to both BC and Canada’s economy … financially, in terms of providing much needed labour and even bringing us potential new citizens.
BC/Canada do have housing/economic problems: high taxes; high land costs; high construction costs; high development charges; low skills training levels; low productivity; low investment rates; and, of course, Donald Trump’s tariffs.
But it’s wrong to scapegoat international students and foreign temporary workers for the challenges taking their toll on BC or Canada now … or ever.
Harv Oberfeld
🇨🇦🇨🇦 Check the labels! BUY CANADIAN! 🇨🇦🇨🇦
(Follow @harveyoberfeld.ca on “X” for FREE First Alerts to new postings on this blog.)
I’ve believed for a very long time, since I was at UBC, that Canada had an obligation to other countries to help them educate their citizens. Why, well a number of countries need help with education. it makes for a better world.
Foreign students usually do take courses which will provide them with specific skills they need to move forward in their own countries. If they decide to remain in Canada, we benefit.
As to foreign students coming to Canada and bringing their countries hates with them, I’m not up for that. Yes they are entitled to their freedom of speech but hate speech is a step too far for any one, citizens or foreign student. When foreign students arrange protests and start shouting kill the Jews and such things, it is time to ask them to leave the country. They are here for an education not to frighten Canadian citizens and residents. They want to demonstrate in a peaceful manner, fine, no problem but what we have seen recently is just not on. Hey it also costs tax dollars because the police are usually present and the clean up later. Its time perhaps we have a look at foreign students behaviour and explain to them they are guests in our country and threatening any particular group in our country just isn’t on and invite them to exit
Temporary foreign workers, we need them. They fill positions Canadians won’t take even if
they are unemployed. If anyone thinks a kid raised in Canada, who isn’t from a farm family, is going to take a job on a farm, give your head a shake. Same goes for fast food resturants and other types of hospitality work. Young people aren’t keen on working shifts or in jobs where they feel they aren’t on par with the customer. It shows. How do I know when the fast food employee is a temporary foreign worker? They have a slight trace of an accent and are polite and friendly–professional. It maybe that employers prefer workers who are professional. Employer, or some also prefer foreign workers because they can be paid less, treated poorly, and usually won’t unionize.
Many parents don’t want their high school kids to work part time. I only know of one high school kid who has a part time job.
This current carry on by the general population and politicians is not doing our country any good. Its promoting hate and division and we are seeing that around the world. Just have a look south of our border. Do we really want to wind up looking like them? Me not so much. As to Eby’s comments, he ought to have known better.
(Response: I agree with much of what you say: foreign workers and students have enriched Canada in many ways. However, I don’t believe any foreigners “are entitled to their freedom of speech” … when visiting, studying or even working in Canada … or any other country. Extending the welcome mat does not include an invitation to protest/complain/disrupt the way we do things here. Those rights belong to citizens alone… and those who violate our hospitality and sow dissent, division or even violence should be sent packing! Ho)
I think you are totally off the mark in a lot of areas. Farm workers and in some instances construction workers from foreign countries should be allowed to take up Canadian jobs ONLY when Canadian workers can’t be found.
I beg to differ about fast food restaurants and other establishments that use TFFs as low wage income to boost profits. They are owned mostly by south Asians who bring in others from India to work at low, low wages (sometimes not even paying them!). There are so many abuses in the system. And please don’t use that crap that Canadian kids don’t want to work there. What about seniors looking to supplement pensions. Don’t you remember a few years back when seniors were working in A&W and Timmies and other local joints? I think you have let your socialist nature cloud the truth about Canadian kids and Canadian workers….. strange as if you are NDP strong, why aren’t Canadians valued (but that is a sore spot about the NDP isn’t it right now)
My grandsons both have jobs working in the fast food industry. Thank goodness they live in Washington where you can still be hired as a kid learning the ropes. Here you cannot.
One of my grandsons might even get a chance at being a manager at a McDonalds – he sure as heck wouldn’t here would he eaf????
Where in the world are Canadian kids going to get their first stab at jobs if not from the fast food and retail? Are you too blind not to see that? Or do you want Canadians to be on welfare, in debt and never get ahead? That is what their future is, even if you don’t want to see it and only believe what is totally wrong!
Harvey your so right on the mark with that. 100 percent plus in agreement. That needed to be stated. And so clearly. To bad we live in this new age where so many people in our politically charged and correct society are so afraid to state that and defend that. All thanks to the self brainwashed leaders and educators who passed the infection on to spread like a bad virus.
You know the way I see it, is that one of the bigger reasons the Federal government made cut backs to the temporary foriegn workers, students and especially immigration is that the lunatics of the Trudeau cabal of sellouts and ideological extreme nuts started to hear Canadians being more and more being pissed off with them for kicking them under the bus and only worrying about having a bigger favourable voter pool and stupidly and negligently thinking they should take care of everyone in the world at the same time, except for Canadians. They forgot us. And I believe it was intentional. That maniac and reckless airheaded J. Trudeau caused all this. He and his people are to blame and I dont even think scapegoating is the right description. It’s just plain old politics. Dirty politics none the less and foreign wokers are just caught in the fray. Its all chance they take in any political situation in any place earth. These changes are just self serving politicians reading the situation and taking action to protect their sorry pathetic rears from more backlash from more angry betrayed Canadians. The Federal election like the BC election proved it with how fast the numbers changed where the Conservatives caught up so much. Fear and lying was used by Carney with the offshore tax havens. The only reason Carney got in was the fear factor of the unknown during the Trump Tarriff War that happened to come into play. It all played to the Liberals favour. Its understanble but its too bad. But Canadians anger and frustration is still there, and the Trudeau bunch are still there. I only see Canadians being completely betrayed and treated like garbage in their own homeland by this looney extremist activist run (Trudeau) government who are still ready and willing to champion their tear down of Canada and disrespect us on all levels. It’ll be interesting to see how long this government stays viable.
(Response; I won’t use the same critical descriptions that you do, but I do believe you’ve put your finger on some valid points. I too got the feeling, especially in Justin Trudeau’s last term, that he and his Liberal government lost touch and paid only lip services to the REAL problems/struggles/hurts impacting ordinary Canadians: high housing costs, income taxes, carbon taxes, health care shortfalls, crime, out of control numbers of immigrants, refugees, foreign students (contributing to the growth of anti-Semitism). Instead Trudeau seemed to me to be more interested in impressing/catering to our own environmentalists, social activists, ethnic minorities, First Nations … and seeking the approval of other countries, leaders and international orgs. Hopefully, Carney will change things! Ho)
Hopefully is a word I avoid as much as possible when it comes to politicians. Or most anyways. Proceed with much caution is the sign post I use, and only harder criticism and critiques seem to be more justified and most necessary especially when we have been so disrespected by our so called leaders for so long now. My opinion is they don’t deserve anything better until they show better for us which is thier responsibilty and obligation to Canadians. Otherwise if they dont get it and get their heads out of thier arrogant high as a horses arse then deserve nothing less except for more public anger directed at them. We.need Canadian leadership for Canadians and not fakes and fancy talkers.
Taking some time to think about this and avoid a knee-jerk reaction, we have two issues:
1) Temporary foreign workers.
2) International students.
Because of a huge demographic change, we do not have the rural populations that once worked on farms and we need temporary foreign workers to work the fields, greenhouses, etc. There should be no problem with this as the foreign workers send most of their income back to their home to support their families, they work hard and tend not to stray from the law.
When it comes to other industries, such as trucking, the issue about foreign worker is all about money as they are cheaper than domestic workers.
Then a one “Trudeau the Younger” got involved and doubled down on refugee/foreign workers with his daft vision of a “post national” Canada.
I will give you a personal example. My son worked in a small but successful restaurant/craft brewery chain, but was laid off because of the Trudeau’s government paying the wages of a refugee worker for one year. As my son was the last one hired, he was first to be laid off, strictly due to “cheap wages” or in this case no wages.
Multiply this by thousands and one can easily see domestic youth forced out of work and the beginning of racism because of this.
I have a gut feeling, this is what Eby’s NDP see in their internal polling.
The international student issue is based on a cash grab by both local school boards and post secondary institutions.
The unintended consequences of this is a somewhat poorer education for elementary and secondary students as finite resources are spent on international students, such as “English as a second language” and more. Some schools even tilted their programs to favour international students, leaving the local kids “out in the cold” so to speak.
Having hosted international students from grade 4 to grade 12 over 15 years, I have seen a lot that disgusted me with the program and the attitude of the school boards.
Our universities, those “ivied halls of learning” and other post secondary institutions have been reduced to “degree mills” – “ya pays ya money and ya get a degree”, sort of thing.
Again the unintended consequences are universities and post secondary institutions have literally become unaffordable for local students and with an open international catchment, most graduating from grade 12 are just ill prepared for university, especially with our growing dismal education system, where political correctness trumps education.
This has also given rise to the “private school” which function is to prepare students for university.
Something else to consider and that is the epidemic of suicide among those in their early 20’s, where seeing life stacked against them and no real way out, death becomes a viable option. This unreported killer has been ignored by the media and government but from personal experience with my two boys, it is an ignored epidemic.
Again, I would guess politcans of all politcal stripes are reading their internal polling and seeing trends that makes their politcal future existence dodgy and are taking clumsy actions to deal with it.
We can never go back, as it was, but we can do a damn sight more, without braking the bank to make our local kids have a brighter future and that includes a rethink on both foreign workers and international students.
(Response: No doubt there are problems with the temporary foreign workers program and the international students program. But they both also have helped Canada deal with labour shortages in many fields and many regions where they are badly needed … and post secondary funding … on a “net” basis, not taking up seats, but actually adding seats, classes, staff by the hundreds of millions of dollars they have brought in. Both programs however should be adjusted, improved and, where needed, restricted. But scrapping them would be wrong ..and hurt BC/Canada more than help. Now, refugees: I still believe Canada should be a welcoming place for legitimate refugees just trying to find save haven and a safe new home. However, Canada and other Western nations have been taken advantage of by jihadists ….who don’t want to fit in and respect our values/principles, but IMPOSE their beliefs, their hatreds, their militancy … even intimidation and violence to force us to surrender to their demands. Canada and other Western nations are now under literal assault by these miscreants and, so far, are not doing enough to control, suppress and deport these troublemakers and, in many cases, criminals. Ho)
Up the politicians arse for allowing he foreign worker program to get so far out hand in the first place. Backstabbers they surely are for not serving Canadians first in the first place with more incentives, training programs and just plain old help a government in a rich system such as ours. So yes government has betrayed their very own in so many ways. Shame on them that we expect to have Canadians backs and didn’t and still don’t. And yes why is rentals still so.high when it shouldn’t be. Disgusting self serving Liars and Charlatans with gold plated pensions, fat wallets and purses are the works.
(Response: Many people don’t realize companies can’t just go out and hire temporary foreign workers on their own. First they must apply ($1,000) for “a Labour Market Impact Assessment to get permission from the Canadian government to hire” and, if approved, can then hire. Looks like Ottawa was too loose in many cases in granting permits, in cases where there are a lot of young Canadians looking for work. But there are jobs/places/skills where the TFW have really helped alleviate needs, so the solution is to improve/tighten up the program, not scrap it completely. Ho)
High school kids can’t find entry level jobs.
Why?
Guess who has those jobs?
Federal and Provincial governments are subsidizing the companies hiring the foreigners over Canadians.
Look into it, it’s pure Agenda 2030 Evil !!!
Go to a store, gas station, or fast food place and look for high school kids working there… Good Luck!
(Response: Yes, I’ve heard that: but there are rules, regulations and controls that supposedly govern the hiring of temporary foreign workers It’s not supposed to be easy to get those permits, so if there are abuses, that should be addressed. But the reality is Canada is short of skilled workers too …in many fields (health, engineering, teaching, technical fields etc.) and TFWs have been critical in relieving the demand … so the program should be fixed, not scrapped. Ho)
Bullshit Harv!
And you are pitching it.
Man have you lost the plot!
Most of the foreign students aren’t in B.C. they are here in Ontario and more particularly from and in the GTA to the Southern most point in SW Ontario. I know because I live here.
Most aren’t in recognized educational institutions. They are enrolled LOL in diploma mills that just before they threw the sign on the store front used to be a garage, a run down whatever etc You get my point.
So Bullshit on supporting the brick and mortar Uni’s. And what the hell are we paying to run these places for foreigners who have turned them into anti/semitic shitholes.
Yes -the provinces do pay the costs of running the Universities. No the money from the foreign students DID NOT go towards anything like that. That money got turned into administrative bulking up with increased senior executives salaries and oh let’s not forget the creation of various activists based causes initiatives like DIE.
Re-write your god damn column and get it right this time!
(Response: Actually, you make my point. No doubt there are foreign “students” who have taken advantage or have abused our entry programs … or have agitated and promoted their old hates from back home …and in previous blogs, I have called for them to be tossed out of the country. But let’s keep it real: in 2025, Canada admitted more than 400,000 foreign students and the overwhelming majority of them … on campuses right across Canada … have been law abiding, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars in tuition fees (notice all the class cuts, budget losses and layoffs on major campuses since Canada cut their numbers back?), plus spending millions in living and consumer spending/expenses off campus. So yes, it’s scapegoating to tar the many who are honest, hardworking and innocent with the guilt of the minority, who, I agree should be tossed out. Ho)
Holy crap! How wrong you are! I think the program has been overly abused. It was meant for farm workers and now everybody under the sun wants to hire the foreign workers. How many Starbucks, Tim Hortons and other restaurants have you been in lately in Vancouver or any part of the Lower Mainland? Tell me how many Canadian kids are working there. Have you bought the Kool Ade that Canadian workers don’t want the jobs??? What about grocery stores – notice who is working there at your Save-on Foods lately?
Have you looked at youth unemployment in Canada? Canadian graduates between the ages of 15 and 24 are facing the highest unemployment rate this country has seen since the mid-1990s, according to first quarter data from Statistics Canada. Are you saying that it’s okay for foreign workers to take over Canadian jobs from young kids just getting started?
And what about seniors wanting to top up their pensions? Years ago you would see seniors working in the above places. How many do you see there now? What is their chances of even getting an interview at any of the above places? I would say not at all. So to say that foreign workers brought in have caused no pain is an absolute farce!
And last but not least what about their impact on everything from housing to medical care (my personal favorite)? And you forgot to mention all those fake university programs that were set up to attract them? Read any ads at the back of a bus lately? Guess what they are advertising and to whom???
(Response: Have to admit, I’ve been to quite a few Tim Hortons, A&Ws, Burger King’s over the Summer but, frankly, I’m not sure how we’re supposed to know if the servers are local or temporary foreign workers? Is it by colour? Not really. Canada is very diverse these days … and all I care about is the service and if the food is hot. I don’t ask for the citizenship papers of those behind the counter. Perhaps kids from newer immigrant families are simply more willing to take fast food jobs (especially early shifts?) at starting pay wage rates? Now, if employers are taking advantage and exploiting/abusing/underpaying ANY workers, or discriminating against local youth, by hiring temporary foreign workers, that should and can be addressed by labour authorities. But there are lots of other jobs … including some quite skilled .. that Canada NEEDS foreign workers to fill …so refining the program would be better than scrapping it. Ho)
Universities have become “Degree Factories”, spewing out unemployable children totally unprepared for the real world.
A world that doesn’t reward failure with a participation medal and a pat on the back…for doing a terrible job.
Anyone shocked at the “Foreign Student” tuition goldmine hasn’t been paying attention to what these degree factories have been doing for the last 30 years.
Bloating themselves on the backs of foreigners.
And they call us racist colonizers.
Do we need more students with a Bachelor or Psychology?
A Bachelor of Philosophy?
Arts? Humanities?
No.
All those professors, and their Depts should be cut.
That’ll save a ton of money.
And believe me, I’m sure there are a lot of very nervous “fringe” Depts that see the writing on the wall.
We need more scientists, engineers, doctors, mathematicians, etc etc etc. if Canada hopes to keep up with the rest of the world.
Or we, and our universities, become increasingly irrelevant.
The rest of the students can either pack up their checkered Keffiyehs, put away their protest signs, get a part time job and go find a real career.
The entire economy is spiraling down, not just govt subsidized Universities and their falling enrollment/tuition numbers.
The party is over.
(Response: I’d like to see a study done, but I suspect foreign students aren’t the ones taking the artsy-fartsy liberal arts courses (sociology, history, literature, cultural studies) but are the ones heavily enrolled in sciences, engineering, medicine, health services …exactly the ones we need … so we should welcome them (and the millions they provide to add additional seats/faculty for Canadians too, and then try to get them to stay/work here after they graduate! Ho)
I think nonconfidencevote hit on something I couldn’t quite put into print in proper context. The sentence is ….And they call us rascist colonizers. It’s like the older version of what some society dividing nutjobs in power positions of government, education and such used to call us white privilege and try to turn the tables on us because we were white and throw us all in one basket as being racsist, bigotted, and privileged somehow and thus scapegoating us and trying to make us feel bad somehow, so these government activist lunatics could pull off their scheming to favour all the special interest groups, communities that unbalanced our society like a teeter totter slamming down on one end but that end being so much smaller from the much larger and heavier end, if that makes sense. So I think if we’re talking about scapegoats, who’s the real scapegoats on the much larger more important scale as Canada as a whole.
(Response: Throughout my life and especially my career, I always have wanted to see greater diversity in journalism. It was VERY VERY white, European Christian when I was young, especially on radio and then television when it was introduced (Yes, I’m that old!! 🙂 ) I liked seeing that change over time … BUT let’s keep it real: in the beginning, minorities (race, colour, ethnicity) had to be better than most to get hired or promoted. Then , for a couple of decades, from 1990s to around 2015, we largely achieved equality. Now seems to me the pendulum has swung too far: some reporters on major outlets are not very good journalists, writers etc. and just seem to get their jobs BECAUSE they tick other boxes (race, ethnicity, sex) …and the product is suffering as a result. And listeners/viewers are reacting ..by turning them off! Ho)
Great topic Harvey.
The university boards of Canada have become addicted to the higher tuition paid by foreign students. This focus on foreigners has grown to unacceptable levels for many differing groups.
Canadian taxpayers payed the freight for these schools, without it they would not exist.
What is the ratio of foreign students in Canadian schools vs. the numbers of Canadian students studying abroad? This tally sheet seems ominously absent from any or all items I’ve seen/heard?
Educating students from foreign, adversarially governed states which then utilize the training for weapons manufacturing, requires a full stop. Why do we train engineers for the PRC?
Many more tear inducing facts are required to fully comprehend this entire mess. The whole story & many applicable, pertinent facts remain a mystery.
(Response: Good point about educating people here for the PRC. But those admissions can be controlled or even banned. However there are lots of foreign students from other countries taking medicine, health sciences, engineering who could help their own struggling countries very much, or even better, benefit Canada after they graduate by staying here if they like what they see and feel welcome. We sure need many more educated/skilled workers …and the huge revenues from foreign students help add seats/classes to Canadian universities. Ho)