“The urgent priority binding all of the G8 economies together is the need for stronger economic growth and a return to competitiveness,” Beatty said.

Most companies using temporary foreign workers are small businesses that can’t afford to wait to find the appropriate workers and don’t have many options for training. Nor can they pay much higher wages to persuade Canadians to relocate.

The Temporary Foreign Workers Program is often the only way for small businesses to find the people they need. While they would much rather employ Canadians, or permanent immigrants, these businesses often have no choice but to look to temporary foreign workers to take jobs that would otherwise go unfilled.

“Privately-held businesses are key players in the Canadian economy, and for truly dynamic companies, growth is at the top of their agendas,” says Bill Brushett, National Leader, Clients and Services, Grant Thornton LLP. “While some companies simply chase top or bottom-line growth, those that are committed to achieving long-term success must look strategically across all core aspects of their business and grow them in harmony in order to fully achieve their objectives. Real growth is about getting better at what you do year over year. This kind of holistic growth creates value beyond the top or bottom line.”

“There is hardly a more urgent issue for Canadian business than skills and human resources,” said Mr. Beatty. “The Canadian Chamber has been front and centre on the skills shortages that are threatening Canada’s economic growth and competitiveness. By lending his name and talents to our new committee, Mr. Sullivan brings significant credibility to our efforts to confront this issue.”

“The skills problem leads our Top Ten list of critical barriers to Canada’s competitiveness,” says Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “It’s showing up all across the country, in every industry. We are pleased to see the government is moving to confront it, and to include business directly in the solutions.”