Restrict foreign workers on Canadian boats: Longshoremen's union

Vessel support workers in St. John's are calling for tighter restrictions on Canadian companies that want to hire foreign citizens.

Representatives from the Longshoremen's Protective Union (LSPU) rallied outside the constituency office of St. John's South-Mount Pearl MP Seamus O'Regan's on Thursday afternoon, arguing the federal government should try to prohibit the hiring of foreign workers on Canadian-owned vessels.

Protestors said foreign workers are replacing Canadians on ships, including some vessels owned by the Woodward Group of Companies. 

• Foreign crews replace 104 Canadians at Woodward Coastal Shipping, union says

"Canadians got to be working. We don't want our Canadian brothers and sisters sitting at home, unemployed, when they could be working," said Chris Gosse, a mechanic and a member of the LSPU.

He claimed foreign crews aren't always as well trained, and companies that use them could be putting the environment and safety at risk.

"They're exploiting foreign labour and it undermines Canadian labour standards, and undermines Canadian regulations," he said.

Canadian jobs, say protestors

The small rally, about 12-people strong, was organized in support of the Seafarers' International Union of Canada, and the group's Day of Action.

That group has brought the federal government to court, alleging it has improperly issued temporary foreign work permits to companies that wanted to hire foreign crew for their boats.

• Seafarers' union takes government to court over foreign sailors

Gosse said it was improper for Woodward's Coastal Shipping to lay off its staff and hire foreign workers for the winter and spring.

"They employed a full Newfoundland crew last year, so we don't see any reason why they shouldn't be using a full Canadian crew this year as well," Gosse said.

In late 2016, Coastal Shipping laid off about 104 workers and switched some of its vessel flags to Marshall Island flags — which allows the boats to use foreign crews in foreign waters.

The ships were expected to head to the Caribbean for the winter months. The vessels usually carry fuel to the coast of Labrador, and it's expected they will return to Canadian waters by the summer.

In November, Coastal Shipping general manager Dennis White said it would be too expensive to keep an all-Canadian crew, and said the company was changing flags because the boats are usually tied up over the winter with no work.

Gosse said the government should intervene.

"That's something that has to be straightened out and we expect our politicians to look after Canadians and Canadian workers, and to start acting like a government that's worried about Canadian jobs."

Another protestor, Greg McCormack, said he had nothing against foreign citizens, but called it "sad" when Canadian workers were losing jobs "over a few cents."

O'Regan was not at his office during the protest, and did not return a message for comment.