TFW program: The real data on the foodservice industry
Over the last two weeks, we have seen a concerning increase in rhetoric targeting the foodservice industry’s use of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program. Both Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre and BC Premier David Eby have called for the program to be scrapped in the last two weeks, calling out foodservice businesses that use it in particular and blaming it for high youth unemployment.
In response, Restaurants Canada issued two statements (see here and here) and has been active in the media dispelling misconceptions about our sector and the workers we employ. Here are a few of those interviews:
While TFWs make up just 3% of the foodservice workforce, they often fill critical roles, like chefs and cooks, overnight shifts and work in rural, remote and tourism areas of the country that don’t have the youth population necessary to meet labour needs. TFWs are always a last resort, because of the costs, time and complexity involved in accessing the program, but when they are hired, they often allow restaurants to maintain hours of operation and support jobs for Canadian workers.
Unfortunately, we have heard reports from operators that some patrons are threatening boycotts or harassing their racialized frontline staff based on assumptions about their immigration status as a result of this heightened rhetoric. Last week, we sent a letter to Mr. Poilievre sharing our concerns and urging him to avoid blaming our industry and workers for high youth unemployment.
In fact, our industry employs more young people now than it did in 2019, both as a total number and as a proportion of our total workforce. We are actively working on new initiatives to attract and retain youth to careers in foodservice.
We will continue defending our industry on this issue and advocating for access to labour where it is needed. Later this fall, we will share details of our workforce campaign with you.
See you at One Table!
We are just one day away from Restaurants Canada’s inaugural One Table, our one-of-a-kind evening that brings together the leaders, voices, and visionaries shaping Canada’s foodservice and hospitality future.
I look forward to connecting with many of you tomorrow and celebrating the winners of our 2025 Awards of Excellence. Attendees will also get an exclusive first look at our 2025 Foodservice Facts!
Register for the 2025 Foodservice Facts webinar
If you can’t make it to One Table, join us for Foodservice Facts 2025: The Ultimate Generational Grudge Match on Tuesday, September 23 at 1PM EST, hosted by Restaurants Canada and presented with support from Uber Eats. Chris Elliott, Chief Economist & Vice President, Research and Sara Hamdy, Research Analyst, will break down the latest economic and consumer trends driving today’s market and what they mean for you.
Can’t make it, but still interested? Register now and we will send you the webinar recording afterwards so you can catch up on your own time.
Future Forward: Assessing Trends & Opportunities for 2025 and Beyond
Can’t get enough trend forecasting? I’m also looking forward to speaking at the upcoming Future Forward panel at the Women in Tourism & Hospitality (WITH) Summit in Toronto on September 29.
This high-level panel brings together leading voices from across tourism, hospitality, restaurants and investment to explore the forces shaping the industry’s future. From economic headwinds, workforce challenges, and evolving guest expectations to technology, sustainability, and investment trends, the discussion will examine where the greatest opportunities and risks lie for Canadian operators in a global context. Panellists will also address the state of women’s leadership in hospitality and foodservice, offering insights on breaking barriers and inspiring the next generation.
Restaurants Canada members can register here. Use promo code RCShow100off for $100 off ticket prices.
FEDERAL UPDATE
From Richard Alexander | Executive Vice-President, Government Relations & Public Affairs
Show Me the Money
The cancellation of Canada’s counter-tariffs has finally delivered some much-needed relief to our industry. Restaurants Canada research confirmed that these tariffs were draining at least $100 million per month from foodservice operators across the country.
But the job isn’t done. Those dollars were taken from our industry — and they must come back to our industry. In a recent meeting with the Department of Finance, Restaurants Canada made it clear: it would be unacceptable for government to use counter-tariff revenues to fund unrelated priorities. That money was collected on the backs of restaurant operators and returning it is the only fair outcome.
As of today, Finance has not made a decision. We will continue to press relentlessly until the government commits to putting those dollars back where they belong — supporting the recovery and growth of Canada’s foodservice industry.
Cutting Red Tape, Delivering Results
Restaurants Canada recently delivered a comprehensive submission to the federal government’s red tape review. Led by our Western Vice President, Mark von Schellwitz, and backed by our Federal Advocacy Committee, our recommendations zeroed in on key barriers — especially those tied to immigration and workforce challenges.
On September 8, the government released its red tape reduction plan and progress report. Encouragingly, many of the issues we raised — from immigration bottlenecks to unnecessary bureaucracy — are now being addressed or slated for action.
To see how your advocacy is shaping real change, read our summary of the government’s plan here.
SUSTAINABILITY UPDATE
From Jillian Rodak | Vice President, Sustainability
Sustainability Committee: Meeting Recap & How to Join
On September 9th, the Sustainability Committee welcomed the CSA Group for a presentation on their new voluntary standard on reuse (RES-002:25/CSA R303:25, Reusable Packaging System Design Standard: Container Washing, Inspection, and Packing for Distribution). This is the first of six bi-national (Canada-U.S.) reuse standards that the CSA Group and PR3 aim to finalize by the end of 2026. The CSA Group also shared details on their draft standard on food loss and food waste, which is currently open for public consultation until October 5, 2025.
Members also received updates on the Federal Plastics Registry, ECCC’s Red Tape Review proposal, and ongoing commercial waste developments at the provincial and municipal levels.
The next Sustainability Committee meeting is scheduled for October 9, 2025. Members are encouraged to join the Sustainability Committee to take part in monthly meetings and/or receive meeting materials to stay up to date on sustainability and regulatory developments. To join, please email kbaindur@restaurantscanada.org.
Ontario Blue Box Amendments
On September 4th, the Ontario government posted their decision summary on the first consultation on the Amendments to the Blue Box Regulation.
Changes to the regulation include:
- Targets: Maintaining current targets for paper, glass, metal, and rigid plastic with a two-year “best efforts” period, rather than delaying or reducing targets.
- Expansion: Deferring facility expansion to 2031 instead of removing it, to avoid creating a two-tiered system and to support long-term diversion goals.
- Public Space: Removing the requirement to expand collection in public spaces.
In June, the government held two consultations on the Blue Box, which Restaurants Canada participated in. We are still awaiting the outcome of the second consultation on the Amendments to the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (ERO 025-0536).
QUEBEC UPDATE
Nous souhaitons la bienvenue à notre nouvelle vice-présidente du Québec, Marie-Pier Richard, dont la première journée est aujourd’hui. Dans ce nouveau rôle, Marie-Pier dirigera nos priorités de représentation dans la province de Québec. Vous pouvez la joindre à l’adresse mprichard@restaurantscanada.org. Restez à l’affût de la prochaine CEO Note pour entendre directement de Marie-Pier.
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We wish a warm welcome to Restaurants Canada’s new Vice President for Quebec, Marie-Pier Richard, whose first day is today. In this new role, Marie-Pier will lead our advocacy priorities in the province of Quebec. You can reach her at mprichard@restaurantscanada.org. Stay tuned for the next CEO Note to hear directly from Marie-Pier.
ATLANTIC CANADA UPDATE
From Janick Cormier | Vice-President, Atlantic Canada
Early last week, Atlantic Chambers of Commerce came out against the federal government’s cuts to Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) and Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) and asked that special consideration be given to Atlantic Canada to address our demographic issues. I was encouraged by this united front by the Chambers and gave two media interviews on the issue. The reality is our communities simply do not have enough people in the labour market to fill all positions in our restaurants. Our population is older and smaller and our communities need access to foreign labour in order to support our economy.
I continue to hear from members that access to foreign labour remains their top issue. While we continue to advocate for greater access to PNP and AIP, a reminder the Francophone Mobility Program remains a viable option for members outside of Quebec and does not require a LMIA.
Newfoundland and Labrador
The provincial government finally released the details of the Restaurant Loan Guarantee Program that was announced in Budget 2025. The program will offer loan guarantees of up to $100,000 per loan to financial institutions that lend to qualifying businesses.
The eligibility criteria are very specific as explained in my last Members update. I encourage those who wish to learn more about the program to read the government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s press release on this.
Furthermore, we expect that the provincial election will be launched today, September 15th for an October 14th election date.
A reminder that municipal election campaigns are already well underway as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will head to the polls and elect their local officials on October 2nd, 2025.
CENTRAL CANADA UPDATE
From Kris Barnier | Vice President, Central Canada and the North
Manitoba
Taste of Manitoba
I recently had the pleasure of supporting the MRFA team at their Taste of Manitoba festival. I am thrilled to congratulate MRFA on their incredible and highly successful event.
I’d also like to acknowledge the elected officials who took the time to come out to the event to show their support to the industry and to speak with restaurant owners and operators. Elected visitors included Manitoba NDP Ministers Matt Wiebe, Jamie Moses, Nellie Kennedy, Mintu Sandhu, and Mike Moyes; PC Leader Obby Khan; Host MLA Robert Loiselle; MLAs Jennifer Chen, Kathleen Cook, Kelvin Goertzen, Konrad Narth, Lauren Stone, Jeff Wharton; Councilors Jeff Browaty and Matt Allard; and MPs Ted Falk and Grant Jackson. It was a great opportunity to build and strengthen relationships with key political figures and to share with them your concerns and asks of governments.
Planning for the Year Ahead
I want to thank the members of our Government Relations Advisory Committee who met with me to share input on our Provincial Budget and other priorities. I am working on the development of our Pre-Budget submission and I welcome your input and advice.
Upcoming Manitoba Visit
I am planning to be out in Manitoba again the week of September 22nd for meetings with government and other stakeholders, and I look forward to sharing the results with you soon.
Government Pilot Opportunity/Reusable Foodware
There is an upcoming pilot project in Winnipeg that may be of interest to your business. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is funding a study led by the University of Toronto to explore the transition from single-use to reusable foodware in local restaurants.
The project, titled “Piloting Solutions to Inform Scaling Up: Identifying Barriers & Opportunities for Reusable Food-Ware Programming in Local Restaurants”, is funded through March 31, 2026, with activities that include:
- Surveying local restaurants and customers to assess willingness to shift from single-use to reusable foodware.
- Launching a returnable takeout container program in partnership with local restaurants, with a focus on The Forks, expected to launch in October 2025.
- Collecting data before and after the program, including costs, single-use foodware use, waste diversion, and the barriers and opportunities identified.
- Sharing findings through a final report.
- Delivering a free webinar for local stakeholders on the study.
As part of this project, the University of Toronto is currently surveying Winnipeg restaurants to help guide the reuse pilot, which is expected to launch in The Forks in October 2025. We encourage you to complete the survey and share your perspective.
You can access the Winnipeg Business Foodware Survey here.
If you have any questions about the study or would like to discuss how this may impact your business, please reach out to sustainability@restaurantscanada.org.
Ontario
Alcohol Policy
With the Master Framework Agreement (MFA)/The Beer Store agreement set to expire at the end of this year, the Government of Ontario and the LCBO will have to land several key decisions in the coming months. It will remain our priority to protect the discounts we’ve won on non-beer products. We will continue to push for discount pricing to be extended to beer. We’re also continuing to work to ensure that your interests are protected on product selection and distribution strategies. We are working closely with the Ontario Restaurant Hotel Motel Association and with other entities that have similar/aligned interests. We are actively engaged with the LCBO and political decision-makers and will remain engaged as they make key decisions.
We are also reconstituting our GR Subcommittee on alcohol. We will lean on the advice and input of this committee as we work to influence key upcoming government decisions on the future of alcohol sales for Ontario’s foodservices industry.
Public Safety
Restaurants Canada is engaging with other stakeholders and with elected officials from all levels of government to bring attention to the urgent need to address crime and other public safety issues that threaten the physical wellbeing of staff, patrons, owners and the financial viability of your businesses. We are actively meeting with Ford Government representatives to ring alarm bells about increasingly common and troubling trends. This past week, a Restaurants Canada member and I sat down with the Chief of Staff and another senior aide to the Solicitor General to bring attention to our industry’s challenges and to help the government understand how crime and public safety are also economic issues. We will continue to press for action and engage with additional provincial and municipal officeholders.
Meetings with Federal Members of Parliament
I am conducting a series of meetings with Ontario and Manitoba MPs about the state of our industry, our ask to make the GST holiday permanent, and about other issues, like labour stability and immigration.
Last week, three Conservative MPs generously took the time to meet with me. I thank Vaughan-Woodbridge MP Michael Guglielmin, Chatham-Kent-Leamington MP Dave Ep, and Elgin-St. Thomas-London MP Andrew Lawton for their time and for some thoughtful conservations.
We spoke about the need for tax and cost relief for our industry and for consumers, labour shortages and the important role both youth and TFWs play in our workforce, and how crime and public safety issues are increasingly threatening the wellbeing of our workers, patrons, and businesses.
Ontario Offers Training Support for Entrepreneurs
Citizenship and Multiculturalism Minister Graham McGregor recently announced the Ontario government is providing free business development training, coaching, networking support and a $10,000 grant to racialized and Indigenous entrepreneurs. See here for additional information and eligibility criteria.
Northwest Territories
Have Your Say on the NWT Nominee Program
The NTNP is an economic immigration program administered by the GNWT, in cooperation with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. The NTNP allows the GNWT to nominate and support the application to Canada for permanent residence of foreign nationals who intend to live in the NWT and who meet specific economic and labour market needs in the territory. If you’d like to share your input, please click here for more information.
WESTERN CANADA UPDATE
From Mark von Schellwitz | Vice-President, Western Canada
BCGEU Strike Action Update
Further to the member updates on the BCGEU strike, BCGEU has threatened to escalate their strike action to include picketing liquor distribution warehouses but thus far have yet to follow through on targeting LDB wholesale centres as part of their strike.
The BC Liquor Distribution Branch continues to be in contact with Restaurants Canada and other liquor stakeholders regarding the possible impact of strike action. LDB remains focused on minimizing any immediate impacts on customers, vendors, and industry partners during this period and is committed to keeping industry partners informed as the situation evolves with timely updates. Any important notices will be posted on the LDB Wholesale Operations Website at wholesale.bcldb.com.
In the meantime, licensees are once again encouraged to stock up on liquor inventory to prepare for possible liquor distribution disruptions caused by the strike.
Premier Eby Supports Elimination of TFW Program – Restaurants Canada’s Response
On Thursday September 4th Restaurants Canada was surprised and disappointed to learn that Premier Eby publicly backed Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s calls to eliminate the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program. Premier Eby doubled down on his TFW comments following a September 9th Burnaby Board of Trade event calling out a couple of Restaurants Canada members for using the TFW program. On September 10th Restaurant Canada issued the following statement in response to Premier Eby’s remarks and we were critical of the Premier’s TFW comments in follow up media interviews, emphasizing that it was irresponsible of the Premier to call out specific restaurants and asking that he separate politics from reality when discussing the program. Here is an article highlighting Restaurants Canada’s response.
Restaurants Canada is in contact with the Premier’s office and is encouraging him to change his position as the industry needs access to a small number of TFWs and new immigrants to supplement their local employees, who still make up 97% of foodservice staff. Without enough staff for key roles, restaurants, especially in rural and resort communities, risk reduced hours, closures, and lost local jobs. We will also continue to encourage the province to prioritize hospitality industry occupations in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and introduce a Tourism and Hospitality PNP stream as was implemented by Alberta.
Concerned members are encouraged to reach out to their local MLA and the Premier at premier@gov.bc.ca to voice their concerns about Premier Eby’s TFW program elimination position.
Restaurants Canada Participates in the BC Chef Table Society’s Cooks Camp
Restaurants Canada once again sponsored and participated in the BC Chef Table Society’s Cooks Camp which took place September 10th and 11th at North Arm Farm in Pemberton BC. Restaurants Canada was pleased to support and participate in the “Great Alignment” panel session on the need for young cooks to engage with industry associations highlighting the many benefits of Restaurants Canada membership.
Restaurants Canada Meets Alberta’s Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Minister
On September 8th Restaurants Canada formally met with Alberta’s Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Minister Schow to provide a state of the industry update and discuss a number of labour, immigration, and liquor policy issues. We stressed the need for labour policy cost stability and supported the Minister in his efforts to increase Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) nominees. We once again asked that the Alberta government rescind the costly unfair Ad Valorem Wine markup implemented on April 1st which has considerably impacted members who are reporting an average increase in 20% in wine menu costs as a result of the policy.
The Jobs, Economy, Trade, and Immigration Ministry has since reached out to Restaurants Canada for a more detailed meeting focusing on our TFW and immigration positions.
Alberta General Holiday Flexibility Consultation
In our meeting with the Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Minister we discussed the Minister’s instructions from Premier Smith to develop legislation that gives Alberta’s cultural community the flexibility to observe major holidays without placing undue hardship and expense to employers. Restaurants Canada has been asked to provide feedback on the proposal and members can access a 10-15 minute online survey on the issue here. Members are encouraged to provide feedback on the issue to Restaurants Canada and complete the online survey before the September 22nd deadline.
Alberta Premier Smith Announces Youth Employment Incentive
On September 11th Premier Smith announced that the Alberta government is providing $8 million towards a new Alberta Youth employment Incentive which will provide grants to employers to offset costs associated with hiring, training, and employing youth from age 15-24. The initiative is expected to support around 1,000 businesses to hire 2,500 young Albertans. Beginning in October 2025, employers will be eligible for one of two incentive amounts. Those who hire 1-2 young workers for a combined total of at least 400 hours will be eligible to receive $4,000. Employers who hire 3-5 young workers with a combined total of at least 750 hours will be eligible to receive $7,500. Through this initiative, the Alberta government is helping pay $10 of the hourly wage for young workers.
The Alberta Youth Employment Incentive will be managed by CAREERS – a long standing not-for-profit organization that helps young people connect with employment.
Restaurants Canada Presents at NEXT Foodservice & Hospitality Expo
Restaurants Canada provided a State of the Industry presentation and participated in a labour shortage panel discussion at the inaugural NEXT Foodservice & Hospitality Expo which took place on September 8th & 9th in Calgary at the BMO Centre. It was also a great opportunity to reconnect with several Alberta Restaurants Canada members.
With gratitude,
Kelly Higginson
