OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 11/08/12 -- The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development made the following statement today:

"Our government believes that Canadians must always have first crack at job opportunities in Canada. We are not satisfied with what we have learned about the process that led to permission for hundreds of foreign workers to gain jobs at the Dehua Mines subsidiary in British Columbia.

"In particular, we are not satisfied that sufficient efforts were made to recruit or train Canadians interested in these jobs. Specifically, the requirement that applicants have skills in a foreign language does not appear to be linked to a genuine job requirement.

"It is clear to our government that there are some problems with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. We take these very seriously and are currently reviewing the Program. Litigation could impede this work and lead to court battles rather than a genuine fix.

"In conducting our review of the Program, we recognize the impact it may have on Canadians employed in connection with the Dehua Mines project. We will seek to avoid unintended harm to their jobs."

Follow us on Twitter

IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.