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The Political Justification of Migrant Workers in Alberta, Canada

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Abstract

Considering a series of oil-driven economic booms, the use of inter-provincial and international migrant labour has become an important part of labour market policy in the Canadian province of Alberta. The increased use of temporary foreign workers is controversial. Narrative analysis of legislators’ statements in the legislature and the press between 2000 and 2011 reveals the government using three narratives to justify policies encouraging greater use of foreign migrant workers: (1) labour shortages require migrant workers, (2) migrants do not threaten Canadian jobs and (3) migrants are not being exploited. Close scrutiny of each narrative demonstrates them to be largely invalid. This suggests a significant disconnect between the real and espoused reasons for the significant changes to labour market policy, changes that advantage employers and disadvantage both Canadian and foreign workers. The findings are relevant to understand the political dynamics of economically related migration.

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Acknowledgments

The On the Move Partnership: Employment-Related Geographical Mobility in the Canadian Context is a project of the SafetyNet Center for Occupational Health and Safety Research at Memorial University. On the Move is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council through its Partnership Grants funding opportunity, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Research and Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador, Memorial University, Dalhousie University and numerous other university and community partners in Canada and elsewhere. The authors would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Will Silver (University of Alberta) and two anonymous reviewers.

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  1. Athabasca University, 10303 138th Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5N2J2

    Bob Barnetson & Jason Foster

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Correspondence to Bob Barnetson.

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Barnetson, B., Foster, J. The Political Justification of Migrant Workers in Alberta, Canada. Int. Migration & Integration 15, 349–370 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-013-0292-6

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