There are nearly twice as many temporary foreign workers in Alberta now as there were at the height of the economic boom.

Newly released figures from Citizenship and Immigration Canada show that on Dec. 1, 2009, there were 69,000 foreign workers in the province, compared to only 35,000 in 2006.

Alberta’s unemployment rate currently sits at 6.6%.

Gil McGowan, head of the Alberta Federation of Labour, calls it a “lose-lose situation.” He says it’s a bad deal for the foreigners because many are forced to work in poor conditions for low pay that no Canadian would accept.

Meanwhile, he says, Canadian workers suffer because the steady supply of foreigners allows employers to keep wages low.

i880 News, Wed Jun 16 2010