I have had two incredibly suspicious interactions with insurance brokers during job applications, consistent with the possibility that those brokers engaging in LMIA fraud. These jobs have all the classic red flags (minimal experience requirements, high pay, unable to find a Canadian/PR, yet they never respond to my applications that meet all requirements for the role).

I went ahead and filed a complaint against one of them to their regulatory body, the RIBO (Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario), on the basis that fraud in hiring is an obvious case of professional misconduct. In addition, it is dangerous to allow someone who engages in fraud, regardless of the type of fraud, from operating as an insurance broker. Fraud is, of course, a particularly serious issue for insurance because of the nature of the business.

The Complaints Officer claimed that the "RIBO does not have the authority to investigate this matter" because it falls under the oversight of the Ministry of Labour.

So just understand that when RIBO states that a member is in good standing, and that the member is expected to “carry on business in accordance with law, integrity and honesty,” RIBO appears to treat those requirements as applying to the member’s regulated insurance activities only. If other parts of the business are allegedly engaging in fraud, falsifying documents, or making false submissions to the federal government, RIBO’s position is that it has no authority to investigate that conduct.

As far as I can tell, there is nothing in the governing legislation or regulations that specifically restricts RIBO in this way. In particular, I have not found any provision stating that, simply because certain conduct also falls under the oversight of a government ministry, RIBO therefore lacks authority to consider whether that same conduct raises concerns about a member’s integrity or professional misconduct.

My complaint:

Details of the matter (1,000 characters max.)

>I am raising concerns regarding a pattern of potential LMIA-related fraud within the insurance sector, where job postings appear to advertise roles with limited requirements, high compensation, and minimal detail, and are then used to support claims that no qualified Canadian or permanent residents are available in order to obtain fraudulent work visas.

>A job posting associated with this brokerage reflects similar characteristics, including limited detail and an LMIA application (required to qualify for a temporary foreign worker).

>During my interview, I was told I lacked specific industry experience and that the role required a close match in skills, knowledge, and experience. However, those requirements were not reflected in the job advertisement, which did not include such particulars. At the same time, they were attempting to qualify for hiring a foreign worker from a different country, despite their stated need for a highly specific skill match with an Ontario certification.

Please confirm what sort of resolution you are seeking:

>I have concerns that both third-party activity conducted in the name of this brokerage and the brokerage’s own involvement may be consistent with LMIA-related fraud. I am submitting this for regulatory review.

Their response:
"Allegations regarding employment practices, including misrepresentation in job postings or improper use of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, fall under the oversight of the Ministry of Labour. RIBO does not have the authority to investigate this matter."

My email reply:
Could you clarify whether RIBO would investigate fraudulent conduct by one of its licensees where the conduct is not directly tied to an insurance policy or insurance transaction?

If so, under what circumstances would RIBO do so? My concern is that fraud by a licensee may not be isolated to a single incident and may raise broader concerns about that individual’s professional integrity, the reputation of other licensees, as well as the confidence of insurance companies in licensed brokers.

Their response to the email:
"RIBO can only investigate complaints that raise professional conduct concerns it has the authority to address. If a complaint does not raise any professional conduct concerns, RIBO will inform you and, if possible, provide you with information about any alternatives that may be available to you.

As previously mentioned, allegations regarding employment practices, including misrepresentation in job postings or improper use of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, fall under the oversight of the Ministry of Labour. RIBO does not have the authority to investigate this matter."

The quote is from his 2014 opinion piece, critical of the Conservative government: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianVisaReform/s/tQvRyNpD9K

Thanks u/plsQuestionOurselves and u/CentoCellar for the original formulations of the meme!

Full episode here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianVisaReform/s/xEV0xqXuSZ

Podcast format: https://pod.link/1439621628/episode/ZnJvbnRidXJuZXItYWRjYjI0YjQtMzU1NC00OWE0LWJjZDYtMWE0NDRmODQyOTU2

I have been careful to not publicly call out news organizations or reporters. I typically do get a response from reporters when I raise concerns about biased reporting regarding the TFW program, (although it never results in an update).

However, in this case, not only have I been completely ignored by the reporter and their newsroom after multiple email outreaches, the article is also the worst I have seen in terms of corporate propaganda. The article "Canadian youth don’t want the jobs filled by temporary foreign workers, research suggests" is not even journalism, it is essentially a transcription of a "research report" from a lobbyist organization, CFIB (Canadian Federation of Independent Business), an organization known for their support and lobbying for the TFW program.

A simple clarification in the article that the CFIB is a lobbyist organization that lobbies for expanding the TFW program would be sufficient, but they can't even be bothered to do that (presumably because, once you know that, the article itself becomes a joke).

Imagine that. Youth don’t want to work jobs that, under the TFW program, the UN has described as creating conditions akin to slavery.

My emails below:

---

Date: Thu, Jul 23, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Subject: Concerns regarding your article "Canadian youth don’t want the jobs filled by temporary foreign workers, research suggests"

Dear Jordan Fleguel,

I manage a subreddit with over a million monthly visitors that covers issues of fraud and abuse in Canadian visa programs. Your article, "Canadian youth don’t want the jobs filled by temporary foreign workers, research suggests", was recently shared in our subreddit as an example of corporate propaganda, and I was hoping you might consider revisiting it to add the missing context and strengthen the piece. Doing so would improve the article’s credibility and overall journalistic value. 

This article largely repackages claims from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business without clearly emphasizing that the CFIB is an employer lobbying organization with a direct interest in preserving access to temporary foreign workers. Its survey is also inherently biased: employers using the LMIA system must already claim they cannot find Canadians or permanent residents, so of course most will repeat that claim when surveyed. More strikingly, one in ten employers apparently admitted in the survey that the positions could in fact be filled locally, an admission that appears fundamentally inconsistent with obtaining a TFW work permit in the first place. The article instead frames the issue as Canadians simply refusing to work, while ignoring that some employers may prefer temporary foreign workers because closed permits give workers less ability to leave, are easily exploited, and operators can profit from illegally selling jobs or immigration access.

These omissions are especially serious because widespread abuse is well documented from highly credible sources, and forms one of the many reasons the program is being challenged by the public. A United Nations Special Rapporteur described the system as a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery,” citing wage theft, debt bondage and workers’ dependence on employers. A Toronto Star investigation found that federal officers had been directed to reduce or skip fraud-prevention checks, while internal warnings from the staff processing applications were ignored and reports of potential fraud reportedly led to no action. A CBC News and Investigative Journalism Foundation investigation exposed allegations of LMIA jobs being sold and fake payroll arrangements used to disguise nonexistent employment. I can also provide more sources if you would like to read more on this.

Sources for the above can be found below my signature.

Best regards,

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sources:

• United Nations Special Rapporteur - Canada’s temporary foreign-worker programs described as a “breeding ground” for contemporary forms of slavery: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/09/canada-anchor-fight-against-contemporary-forms-slavery-human-rights-un
• Toronto Star investigation - Government officers told to skip fraud-prevention steps when vetting TFW applications: https://www.thestar.com/business/government-officers-told-to-skip-fraud-prevention-steps-when-vetting-temporary-foreign-worker-applications-star/article_a506b556-5a75-11ef-80c0-0f9e5d2241d2.html
• CBC News/Investigative Journalism Foundation - Foreign worker says he paid his own wages for a cook position that did not exist:
• https://theijf.org/article/lmia-turtle-jacks-cbc

---

Date: Jul 30, 2026, 1:00 PM

ATTN: Editor Fwd: Concerns regarding your article "Canadian youth don’t want the jobs filled by temporary foreign workers, research suggests"

Hi CTV news,

I think Jordan is too busy to respond, I just wanted to follow up regarding my email below. Jordan wrote a piece from a obviously biased lobbying group (https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/article/canadian-youth-dont-want-the-jobs-filled-by-temporary-foreign-workers-research-suggests/), and while the group is named, nowhere in the article does it describe the organization as a one-sided lobbying group. It reflects poorly on his work as a journalist and your company as a news organization. Biased reports from lobbying groups are quite common and should be viewed with strong skepticism, their goal is not to provide an unbiased neutral opinion, but to pressure the government to change policy in favour of business interests.

Can an editor's note be attached to the article so that readers are not misled?

Best,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Re:

Date: Aug 5, 2026, 4:40 PM
Hi Newsroom,

I'm going to make a post about this as I consider it to be very disappointing that a news organization would uncritically parrot lobbyist "research", especially after I provided notice of the concern and additional information. Can someone at least confirm the editor and the journalist will not be making a statement regarding the concerns I have raised?

Best,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX