The deadline for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program concerns many Fort MacMurray businesses. The TFWP was designed to help companies find workers, but recent changes to the program have made it difficult for business owners to plan ahead. Many foreign workers come to Canada with dreams of a better life, and these workers typically take positions that Canadians are unwilling to fill. Many have speculated that some companies hire foreign workers because they may have a lower wage and the business can save money by paying out less in labor costs, and some believe that there are companies who do not try to fill positions with Canadians before they look for foreign workers to hire. This has led to changes in the program which could force many of the workers from other countries to leave Canada.

The motivation behind the changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program was to ensure that Canadians are given a chance for employment before foreign workers are brought in. In 2011 a 4 year limit was put in place for foreign workers, meaning that a permit is only good for a maximum of four years. After this period the foreign worker must leave Canada and can not come back and get another work permit for four years. Some estimates put the number of foreign workers who must leave at around 16,000. Karl Paetschke said “This country does not treat foreigners and immigrants the way it once did. They never should have come here as temporary workers. They should have been allowed to immigrate like me and millions of others.”