Union and Employer Groups Unite in Call for a New Immigration Pathway for Canada’s Food Sector

OTTAWA, Ontario, Oct. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Employer organizations and the largest union for Canadas food processing sector are jointly calling on the federal government to create a new, dedicated immigration pathway that provides a route to permanent residency for essential jobs in the food sector.

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The call follows the cancellation of the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot earlier this year, which had been one of the few programs recognizing the year-round, permanent nature of work in food manufacturing. Its cancellation has left both employers and workers without a viable path forward at a time when the sector is already struggling to fill chronic labour gaps.

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Lack of consistent labour is one of the biggest barriers to growth in our sector, said Nestor Pawliuk, CEO, Canadian Meat Council. Businesses are investing in automation, training, and recruitment, but those efforts cant succeed without stable access to the people who make our plants run every day.

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Workers who keep our food system moving deserve the chance to build permanent lives in the communities where they work, added Shawn Haggerty, National President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada). A fair and predictable immigration pathway is good for workers, families, and the long-term strength of the Canadian economy.

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Food and beverage processing is Canadas largest manufacturing employer, the largest component of which is meat processing. Overall, this sector employs over 300,000 people and contributes more than $35 billion annually to GDP. Yet ongoing labour shortages are constraining production, limiting export capacity, and undermining Canadas competitiveness.

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With the federal government already preparing a package of reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, industry and labour are urging that the food sector be actively included in these discussions. The sector faces unique realities, from year-round operations and specialized skills that are difficult to find in Canada to the rural communities where many plants are located, that require tailored, collaborative solutions, not one-size-fits-all policies.

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Employer and union representatives are calling for a seat at the table as these reforms take shape. Constructive dialogue now will ensure that new policies strengthen, rather than destabilize, the food manufacturing sector that Canadians rely on every day.

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