The Public Service Alliance of Canada declared a general strike beginning Wednesday, April 19th. As a result, bargaining groups representing 159,000 public servants are on strike.

The Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council (CAHRC) reports that all Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and work permit applications processing will be affected by the labour disruption. However, LMIA applications in primary agriculture will still be processed according to Service Canada. 

During this labour disruption, certain services may be delayed or not delivered at all. Below you can find the information from the government sources on the impact of labour disruptions at processing of LMIA and work permit applications.

-  For LMIA applications: processing activities would be focused on employer applications in the primary agriculture, food processing, trucking and health-related sectors. However, applications for all sectors could experience delays in receiving decisions on their requests depending on the duration of a disruption.

-  For work permit applications processing: there will be limited capacity during a strike, so delays in processing are expected. This includes delays to applications currently being prioritized.

-  If you have a foreign worker that requires extending their stay in Canada, the application to extend stay in Canada can still be made on-line during the Government of Canada labour disruption. The applicant must meet all the required conditions to maintain their status and remain in Canada until a decision is made on their application.

The impact of the labour disruption on producers relying on the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) and Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) will likely depend on the process and timelines of each producer and the duration of the strike. April arrivals are not expected to be affected considering all the processes with ESDC and IRCC have already been completed for these workers. The impact of May arrivals could however be considerable.

Also note that the labour disruption could affect delivery of certain federal agriculture programs, including AgriInvest, AgriStability, the Poultry and Egg On-Farm Investment Program, Youth Employment and Skills Program, and programs under the new Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Beyond these programs, the services provided by the Canadian Grain Commission and administration of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, both vital services for Canadian agriculture, could also be negatively affected. 

More information on service impacts is available on Canada.ca/labour-disruptions and will be updated regularly. A quick summary of the related impacts is available here: https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/here-s-how-the-strike-by-public-service-workers-will-impact-federal-services-1.6353262

Source:  Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council April 19, 2023 news release