‘Stable and predictable’: Why Alberta farmers depend on temporary foreign workers

Some Alberta farmers are worried about the potential impact of new rules around temporary foreign workers on their businesses. Miriam Valdes-Carletti has more.

Producing 1.3 million pounds of honey a year requires all hands on deck, knowledgeable beekeepers and consistent workers to run a business year round.

That’s why hiring temporary foreign workers (TFW) have been essential to the success of Nixon Honey Farm since it began operating in 1998, according to its owner Kevin Nixon.

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“It’s just one of those jobs in agriculture that we can’t seem to attract a stable Canadian workforce,” Nixon said.

The family-owned business distributes its honey within Alberta and around the world. The farm also offers pollination services, moving its hives to the southern part of the province for canola seed pollination.

Earlier this fall, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Ottawa would be cutting the number of temporary foreign workers it allows, from 368,000 this year to 230,000 in 2026. In total, the number will account for less than five per cent of the total population of Canada by the end of 2027.

The measure was introduced in response to rising unemployment in late 2023.

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Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program requires employers to demonstrate they couldn’t find a Canadian to fill the job by filling out Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA).

This past summer, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre claimed temporary foreign workers were taking jobs from young Canadians.

However, they account for one per cent of Canada’s overall workforce, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) told CTV News Edmonton.

Last year, 36 per cent of temporary foreign worker positions were approved under the Primary Agriculture stream, according to ESDC.

It did not say how many of those positions would be reduced in the coming years, but did say primary agriculture and food processing sectors are “generally” exempt from tightening measures.

Nixon says temporary foreign workers are reliable and crucial to fill the gap when Canadians can’t do the job – work that’s labour intensive and requires long hours.

“We do have points in the season where we’re working around the clock and that doesn’t work for a lot of Canadians,” Nixon said.

“There’s no long weekends, we try to take Sundays off, but it can be very demanding and it’s 12, 14, 16-hour days.”

Every year, Nixon Honey Farm advertises job postings on Indeed, industry magazines, websites and more. When Nixon has hired Canadians, they usually don’t stick around long enough or use it as a stepping stone to another job.

Working on a honey farm means working long hours in the sun and often getting stung by bees.

Last year, the federal government limited how many temporary foreign workers were admitted into the country for the first time. While the Nixon farm hasn’t seen an impact on its business yet, the owner is worried what could happen.

“I honestly don’t know what we would do – possibly looking at selling part of the business or downsizing because you simply cannot run the numbers, the production that we’re running at this scale without those qualified, knowledgeable workers,” said Nixon.

The knowledge and experience to become a beekeeper can take years and Nixon is always willing to hire Canadians, but they need to be willing to work in a rural location and drive to a farm for work.

He said he has been accused by misinformed people of accepting government subsidies to hire temporary foreign workers instead of locals.

“I’ve had people say we’re getting cheap foreign labor, and I do not believe that it’s cheap. I do believe it’s reliable and dependable labor,” he said.

“These workers are committed; they show up for work everyday.”

Nixon’s honey farm is one of many across the province and the Prairies utilizing seasonal and temporary foreign workers to keep their business moving.

‘Foreign workers don’t replace Canadians’

Upon hearing the federal government would be scaling back the TFW program, the Alberta Federation of Agriculture (AFA) went to Ottawa in the fall to lobby the government to discuss the importance of the TFW program for farmers.

Alberta farms and agri-food processors already face labour shortages driven by rural population decline, an aging workforce and competition from other industries, the AFA told CTV Edmonton.

“Producers were anxious,” AFA executive director Aaron Stein said of passing on the news of a possible program cut.

The federal government offers two pathways to bring in workers to Canada: the seasonal agricultural worker program and the TFW program.

As the name suggests, seasonal workers stay for up to eight months and strictly work in primary agriculture like planting, harvesting and greenhouse labour.

The TFW program is designed to meet ongoing labour needs on livestock, dairy, grain farms, and has low-wage and high-wage positions. Through this program, workers are able to stay longer and have multi-year stability, something farmers like Nixon benefit from.

“Foreign workers don’t replace Canadians, they fill roles where no Canadians apply,” the AFA said.

If farmers in the province were unable to hire temporary foreign workers, it would impact the fabric of what and how much Canadians eat.

“Farmers are going to have to charge or pay a lot more for labour and that just trickles all the way down to your plate and your receipt at the grocery store,” Stein said.

“Or we’re not going to have enough product, which means less selection or less availability at the grocery store.”

With files from The Canadian Press