ESDC proposals to change agricultural streams of TFW program

Following the 2022 budget, the Government of Canada has been exploring the creation of a new agriculture specific TFW stream which is proposed to amalgamate the SAWP, Ag Stream, low and high wage into one – The Temporary Foreign Worker Agriculture and Fish Processing Stream.

Since the fall of 2024, discussion papers have been released on the main changes that the Government of Canada is proposing. The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) with feedback from commodity representatives on the labour committee and Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) have been actively responding to these papers as they have been released. 

Main objective and theme of all responses: To keep the SAWP program separate from this new proposed stream and maintain the same rules and processes that have been in existence for decades that are supported by employers, workers and their home countries.