Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre made news this week when he called for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to be scrapped.

Ironworkers Local 97 Business Manager Doug Parton has been a vocal critic of the program for 15 years and was invited to speak with CBC Vancouver, CBC Victoria and CTV News Vancouver.

“I’ve been fighting this fight for 15 years. It seems to be Ottawa’s dirty little secret,” Parton told Gloria Macarenko on CBC Radio. “Every time I’ve been out there, the Conservatives know about it, the Liberals know about it, the NDP knows about, but nobody wants to speak up and say what’s right, not only for the TFW because they’re getting exploited, but also for the Canadian worker.”

Parton is pleased to see the Temporary Foreign Worker Program back in the headlines and wants the discussion about reform to focus on providing better wages for all workers involved.

“If you’re good enough to work in Canada, shouldn’t you be paid like a Canadian? You ought to be able to afford food, lodging and the Canadian dream,” he said. “You’re not going to be packing rebar in downtown Vancouver when you need $100,000 a year, for 30 or 40 grand. It’s not gonna happen. This is about wage suppression.”

Ironworkers Local 97 will continue to push for changes to the TFW program that will improve wages, increase fairness, grow the apprenticeship system and allow more Canadians access to good-paying jobs.