Yukon defends foreign workers program

The Yukon government is defending its foreign temporary worker program, despite recent complaints from two Filipino workers who face deportation.

Two days after those workers went public with their situations, government officials insist the vast majority of the Yukon's 500 foreign workers are satisfied with their job placements.

"It's disappointing that you take a couple of isolated cases like this and a lot of fear-mongering starts," Brent Slobodin, the Yukon's assistant deputy education minister, told CBC News on Wednesday.

"Everything's not perfect, but for the most part we find that everybody is above board," he added. "Employers need employees, these people coming from other countries want these jobs, and so generally it tends to work out."

The Yukon government operates one of two foreign temporary worker nominee programs in the territory, with the other being administered by the federal government.

Came north without proper permits

Officials with the Canada Border Services Agency held a hearing Wednesday about the two Filipino men, who both came north from Alberta without Yukon work permits. The hearing was adjourned until July 26.

"There's going to be inadvertent mistakes. I mean, they came into the territory with Alberta work permits," Slobodin said.

"If they didn't stop to think that they should check those out, that's unfortunate on their part."

One of the two Filipino workers, 29-year-old Francis Dura, said he came to Canada in January on a two-year temporary visa to work for an Alberta company.

When he was told there was no work in Alberta, Dura said his aunt in Whitehorse flew him north, where a local business had agreed to hire him right away.

Not supposed to work

But Dura said his employer was later told Dura was not supposed tostartworkinguntil after his paperwork with the Yukon nominee program was processed.

"All foreign workers here, all over the world we don't really have any knowledge of how this works. We just follow them from square one until the end," Dura told reporters on Monday.

"Knowing things that we have done something wrong we don't have knowledge for this. So we need help."

Dura's application with the Yukon program was eventually approved earlier this month, but that decision hinges on the Canada Border Services Agency's decision on whether to deport him.

Yvonne Clarke, president of the Canadian-Filipino Association of Yukon, said after Wednesday's hearing that it will help cover basic expenses for Dura and the other worker while their cases are being heard.

Despite the Filipino men's situation, Slobodin said there is no reason to raise fears in Whitehorse's foreign worker community.

"It's the fear-mongering that's the worst issue out there. Yes, there's going to be people who talk. Yes, there's going to be people who whisper. But there's no need for that," Slobodin said.

"Come in and talk to us, because we can work the problems out."