The Minister of Immigration, Francization, and Integration in the Government of Quebec, Christine Fréchette, has asked the federal government to take action to regulate the employment of foreign workers by recruitment agencies.

Media outlets have reported that recruitment agencies are hiring temporary foreign workers with closed work permits, a practice that generally conflicts with the regulatory framework in the province of Quebec.

Temporary foreign workers have complained that they are placed in a state of extreme vulnerability. Being tied to recruitment agencies with closed work permits, it was impossible for them to obtain a job with another employer, even if the agencies no longer offered them work hours.

For their part, some recruitment agencies claim that they are not required to comply with the regulatory framework in Quebec due to a free trade agreement signed by the federal government.

However, Minister Fréchette reminds that the Government of Quebec, under its regulatory framework, refuses to approve employment applications submitted by the agencies.

"Quebec refuses to process all applications for the 'Certificate of Acceptance for Quebec' (CAQ) and 'Labour Market Impact Assessment' (LMIA) submitted by agencies wishing to employ individuals in the category of 'temporary foreign workers' (TFW) to send them under subcontract to external companies," Fréchette said in a written statement.

The Quebec Minister of Immigration believes that "the situation these workers find themselves in is unacceptable."

"We have amended our regulations so that (this situation) does not occur in Quebec," Fréchette explained, urging the federal government to do the same.