Re: “Canadians expect a balanced workforce,” Editorial, July 23.

Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan has a legitimate point. The more Immigration Minister Jason Kenney removes barriers for foreign workers to take Canadian jobs, the more difficult it will be for new graduates to find work in Canada.

I am a second-year steam pipe fitter graduate from SAIT. I graduated second in my class with a 4.0 GPA in all courses. I have applied to over 70 different job postings in the past four months and have come up empty.

The reality is, the easier it is for companies to hire a foreign worker who possesses the necessary skill set, the less willing these companies will be to train our country’s future trades people. I decided to attend SAIT last year to receive my certificate and begin what I was promised would be a very lucrative career. Unfortunately for me, finding work in the trades is proving to be far more difficult than it was in securing my 4.0 GPA.

If the trend is to continue the way Kenney would have it, then I fear that our future employment in well-paying jobs is dwindling and soon to become obsolete in the interest of keeping other countries’ labour forces employed over our own.

The Calgary Herald, July 25 2012
Nujra Ahnis, Calgary