The Coalition Avenir Québec refuses to hear from United Nations special rapporteur Tomoya Obokata on closed work permits, a practice which, according to him, makes temporary immigrants “vulnerable to contemporary forms of slavery”.
Québec solidaire, which had asked the government to hear Mr. Obokata at the beginning of September, was refused on Wednesday morning.
After a visit to Canada — including Montreal — at the end of the summer, the special rapporteur concluded that temporary worker programs risked representing contemporary forms of slavery.
He had notably called for an end to closed work permits. These permits, which link a temporary foreign worker to a single employer, are currently the subject of analysis by the Minister of Immigration, Christine Fréchette. The elected CAQ member intends to “find opportunities for improvement”.
Further details will follow.
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