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Re:Marines mobilized in response to LA protests by cmrdporcupine on Tuesday June 10, 2025 @07:56AM (#44235685)
They were slow to let off the gas pedal after the labour shortages during COVID. There's been a massive swing in the other direction now.
Re:Marines mobilized in response to LA protests by FirmwareBurner on Tuesday June 10, 2025 @08:36AM (#44236071)
What kind of labor shortages are we talking about? Isn't "muh labor shortage" just corporate propaganda for importing more cheap labor to drive down wages and increase rents?

Also, isn't it completely reckless to import a lot more people in a short timespan, without the necessary housing and infrastructure (doctors, nurses, teachers, etc) to support them in the first place?

Re:Marines mobilized in response to LA protests by cmrdporcupine on Tuesday June 10, 2025 @08:43AM (#44236131)
Small businesses were having a hard time staffing stores and the like. For a short period 2021 to maybe early 2023.

It's definitely not the case now. Unemployment is way up. Which I suspect is a combination of factors (slowing economy & tariffs) not just immigration.

But yes, Canadian governments work for employers, not workers. Just like any other advanced capitalist country. There is an expectation that there's a "natural" unemployment rate in this country around 6%, and they freak out if it goes much lower than that.

In general, when regular people are complaining about inflation they're complaining about their groceries. When you hear businesses and governments concerned about inflation .. they mean they're stressed out because minimum wage employees are demanding some basic respect that employers feel they shouldn't have to provide...

Re:Marines mobilized in response to LA protests by pseudo0 on Tuesday June 10, 2025 @08:48AM (#44236166)
There were no labor shortages during COVID... Low-wage employers just panicked because they were suddenly competing with generous temporary government benefits.

No wonder Canada's productivity is stagnant and on track for the lowest growth in the G7. Why invest in technology or productivity when you can just cry to the government for cheap, indentured labor?

Re:Marines mobilized in response to LA protests by swat535 on Tuesday June 10, 2025 @09:34AM (#44236632)
There has been a massive swing? They announced a small reduction and called it a day.
Re:Marines mobilized in response to LA protests by cmrdporcupine on Tuesday June 10, 2025 @12:21PM (#44238620)
The tightening of international student visas has actually been quite significant. Its effects on colleges and universities has been very drastic. And it has effects in the labour market as well.
Re:Marines mobilized in response to LA protests by cmrdporcupine on Wednesday June 18, 2025 @03:38PM (#44312725)
https://archive.is/awVp8#selection-2637.0-2640.0

Quarter with the slowest population growth since at least 2018, excepting one quarter in 2020.