April 27, 2012 - Ottawa – The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) congratulates Human Resources Minister Diane Finley on her announcement to speed up the Temporary Foreign Worker Program which addresses Canada’s persistent labour shortages.

“Canada’s hotel industry, which currently employs 284,000 people, is facing a nation-wide labour shortage crisis,” said Tony Pollard, HAC President. “With that in mind we are particularly pleased that Ottawa will now respond to requests for skilled workers within ten days instead of the 12 – 14 weeks it currently takes to get a Labour Market Opinion.”

The new national regulations will initially only apply to high-skilled rather than semi-skilled jobs, but is expected to eventually be expanded to include other occupations.

“This is definitely a step in the right direction,” said Pollard. He added, “It will make the system more efficient and effective for hoteliers in meeting their human resource needs.”

About the Hotel Association of Canada
The Hotel Association of Canada is the national voice and resource for the Hotel and Lodging Industry in Canada. For nearly 100 years, it has worked to enhance the prosperity of the Canadian Hotel and Lodging Industry through strong member engagements, effective government advocacy, and the provision of value added programs and services. The Hotel Association represents more than 8,400 hotels, motels and resorts that encompass the $16 billion Canadian hotel industry which employs 284,000 people across Canada.
www.hotelassociation.ca.