Immigration minister embroiled in controversy defended program, claiming it helped fill labour shortage
The federal government has stopped issuing visas to foreign-born strippers to fill job shortages following a storm of controversy.
Immigration Minister Judy Sgro has been under fire for fast tracking a visa for a Romanian stripper who later worked for Sgro as an election volunteer.
The announcement, made this week in the House of Commons by Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, is seen as a blow to Sgro. Sgro had been vehemently defending her actions for weeks, stating that the visa program for strippers was needed to fill a labour shortage.
Joe Volpe, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, told reporters that strippers aren’t the kind of workers the federal government should be going out of its way to help get into the country.
“That program has been cancelled,” he said. “It is not something the Canadian public are ready to say ‘You know, this is what the government of Canada should spend our money on.’”
The government said it will no longer spend money analyzing whether there are enough Canadians to work as strippers and club owners will have to justify employee hires on a case-by-case basis. He said the government shouldn’t be doing an analysis of these type of jobs, even though they’re legitimate occupations.
According to a CTV news report, almost 700 strippers received work permits last year, the majority of them from Romania.
NDP leader Jack Layton applauded the government’s decision.
“Now the government, at least in the future, might not be any longer pimping for the sex industry. And that’s a good thing. It never should have been doing it in the first place.”
Immigration Minister Judy Sgro has been under fire for fast tracking a visa for a Romanian stripper who later worked for Sgro as an election volunteer.
The announcement, made this week in the House of Commons by Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, is seen as a blow to Sgro. Sgro had been vehemently defending her actions for weeks, stating that the visa program for strippers was needed to fill a labour shortage.
Joe Volpe, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, told reporters that strippers aren’t the kind of workers the federal government should be going out of its way to help get into the country.
“That program has been cancelled,” he said. “It is not something the Canadian public are ready to say ‘You know, this is what the government of Canada should spend our money on.’”
The government said it will no longer spend money analyzing whether there are enough Canadians to work as strippers and club owners will have to justify employee hires on a case-by-case basis. He said the government shouldn’t be doing an analysis of these type of jobs, even though they’re legitimate occupations.
According to a CTV news report, almost 700 strippers received work permits last year, the majority of them from Romania.
NDP leader Jack Layton applauded the government’s decision.
“Now the government, at least in the future, might not be any longer pimping for the sex industry. And that’s a good thing. It never should have been doing it in the first place.”
