Fearing it may hurt the local tourism industry in Banff and Canmore, Banff-Airdrie opposition candidates are criticizing a federal government policy that places limits on Australians participating in a working holiday visa program.
Banff’s tourism industry is asking for a reversal of a recent policy change, which now limits Australians participating in the International Experience Canada (IEC) working holiday program to a one-time 24-month visa instead of allowing multiple visas.
Aussies flock every year to the Bow Valley, filling front line positions in hotels, shops, restaurants and ski hills, and the Banff Lake Louise Hotel Motel Association say they were given no notice of the change and believe it will deter Australians from taking part in the program.
Blake Richards, the incumbent Conservative MP, said he remains engaged with employers and organizations regarding labour challenges, but would not comment on whether he would push for a reversal of the policy for the local tourism industry.
“There are a number of avenues available for the tourism sector to hire foreign workers when there is no Canadian available to do the job, including the IEC program,” said Richards, who has served as chairman of the Parliamentary Tourism Caucus.
“The rules governing the program are negotiated and agreed upon by both countries in bilateral discussions each year.”
Richards said Australians have other options under the IEC program.
“Any Australian youth working in the tourism sector under the IEC program who wants to stay has the option of applying for permanent residence through Express Entry or a provincial nominee program.”
Liberal candidate Marlo Raynolds, the Green Party’s Mike MacDonald and NDP candidate Joanne Boissonneault are all concerned the change would hurt local businesses.
Raynolds said he has to do more research on the issue, but is “definitely open to looking at. it”
“Details on this program have to be more fully understood and we would need to look at the pros and cons, but the critical point in this is how this version of the Conservatives is really failing small businesses,” he said.
“We saw it with the knee-jerk change to the Temporary Foreign Workers program and now the quiet change with the IEC. It makes it so difficult for small businesses in their most busiest times to be able to plan.”
The working holiday category is designed for Australian citizens aged 18 to 30 who intend to travel in Canada and who wish to find temporary paid employment to help pay for their stay, for up to 24 months.
Under the change, an Australian citizen may now participate in the working holiday category only once, no longer multiple times. There are, however, no changes to the number of visas being issued to Australians in the working holiday category.
Green Party candidate Mike MacDonald said he would consult with the tourism industry in the Bow Valley before any decisions were made.
“The first thing I would do differently is talk to the tourism industry before I made decisions like this,” he said.
“The Banff corridor is a big part of the local economy – tourism. You can’t make these kinds of decisions without consulting with the tourism industry,” he added.
“The first step would be to go and talk to the people who are affected. What did you have in place before? What was working with it? What didn’t work? Do we reverse it? Is there a different path we can take that maybe even more helpful?”
NDP candidate Joanne Boissonneault said Commonwealth countries have a long and valued tradition of encouraging young people to live and work abroad.
“We would be very worried if a Harper government decision affected local tourism businesses in a negative way,” she said.
“Small businesses are responsible for most new jobs created and we should be doing everything in our power to help them.”
BLLHMA executive director Darren Reeder sent a letter to Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, calling on the government to reverse the decision.
“Given the importance of the IEC program to tourism destinations like Banff Lake Louise, we recommend the government reverse its policy decision and remove the limitations that have been placed on participants from Australia, once again allowing for multiple 24 month work visas,” he said.
“We firmly believe that the policy change that was made may deter some Australians from participating in the IEC program, thus limiting the ability our members have for recruitment.”
