Tourism economies run on people. Hotels, restaurants, attractions, retail shops and every other business that serves Jasper's visitors depends on a reliable, skilled and motivated workforce. In Jasper — remote, seasonal and operating in a constrained housing environment — finding that workforce is one of the defining challenges of running a business.

JPCC advocates at the federal and provincial levels for immigration and labour market policies that reflect the real-world needs of tourism-based communities like ours.

JPCC's Position 

Canadians are not applying for many of the jobs that keep Jasper's visitor economy running — that is a structural fact rooted in demographics, geography and the nature of the tourism industry. Foreign workers have long been essential contributors to Jasper's economy and community. We support a demand-driven immigration system that recognizes economic, demographic and geographic realities, with clear pathways to permanent residency for workers at all skill levels. Blanket national metrics, lengthy processing times and reduced TFW allocations are creating real and lasting harm in communities like Jasper, and JPCC is actively working with national partners to make the case for change.

What We've Done

Reimagining Immigration: The Canadian International Workforce Program — JPCC is a signatory to Reimagining Immigration, a major national policy paper led by Nancy Healy, Commissioner for Employers on the Canada Employment Insurance Commission and co-signed by some of Canada's most influential employer organizations — including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Restaurants Canada, the Hotel Association of Canada and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, among dozens of others.

The paper makes the case that Canada's current immigration system is fundamentally inadequate for the needs of employers filling low-skilled, persistently vacant positions — the exact jobs that sustain Jasper's visitor economy. It proposes a new program, the Canadian International Workforce Program (CIWP), consisting of two streams: one for seasonal and temporary workers and one for year-round positions with integrated pathways to permanent residency. The CIWP would replace the patchwork of TFW program workarounds that employers currently rely on and would be grounded in labour market demand, worker protections and bilateral agreements with source countries.

JPCC's endorsement of this initiative reflects our conviction that meaningful immigration reform is essential not just for Jasper, but for every tourism-based community in Canada.

Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee (HUMA) — JPCC made a formal submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development as part of its study on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Our submission outlined the structural labour market challenges facing rural tourism communities, the critical role TFWs play in sustaining local businesses and the damage caused by recent reductions in TFW allocations and lengthy LMIA processing times. We advocated for a demand-driven immigration system, predictable processing timelines and clear pathways to permanent residency for workers in persistent-vacancy roles.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce Policy Resolution — Resort Community Immigration — Working with the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, JPCC supported Resolution #15 at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting in October 2025. The resolution calls on the Government of Canada to expand the federal Rural Communities Immigration Pilot (RCIP) — an employer-driven pathway to permanent residency for skilled workers — to explicitly include resort communities like Jasper.

Currently, many resort communities are excluded from the RCIP despite facing the same chronic labour shortages as other rural communities. The resolution calls for amended eligibility criteria that recognize resort communities' unique economic structures, flexible population metrics to account for the realities of tourism-based communities and engagement with local stakeholders in implementation. For Jasper, inclusion in the RCIP would create a meaningful permanent residency pathway for workers who have already established themselves in the community — addressing one of the most persistent gaps in the current immigration system.

Letter to the Minister of Jobs and Families — JPCC wrote directly to the federal Minister of Jobs and Families urging commitment to meaningful, practical immigration reform for Canada's tourism service and hospitality industry. The letter called for a low-skill immigration stream supporting both seasonal and year-round employment, better alignment between ESDC and IRCC and support for the work of the Commissioner for Employers in driving this conversation forward.

What's Next

JPCC will continue to support the Reimagining Immigration initiative and monitor federal immigration policy as it evolves. We are particularly focused on the development of the proposed Canadian International Workforce Program, LMIA processing timelines, seasonal employer allocations and pathways to permanent residency for workers who have established themselves in the community.

Get Involved

If labour shortages are affecting your business, or if you have experience with the immigration system you'd like to share, contact us at [email protected] or call 780-852-4621.