Agrifood organizations have the support for the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses in hoping that initial changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) are the first steps to more sweeping reforms.CFIB President Dan Kelly said, “The artificial caps on the percentage of foreign labour may make sense in parts of Canada, but for smaller businesses in rural and remote parts of Canada, there are few other options.”The government has lifted the four year limit on foreigners working in Canada and relaxed some time restrictions on seasonal workers. Agrifood representatives say these moves will help ease but not solve widespread labour shortages. They're hoping for other positive steps in 2017 when the Trudeau government makes a more comprehensive response to a Commons committee report that pointed out shortcomings in the TFWP changes implemented by the Harper government.“These changes will help,” Kelly noted. “While our economy is struggling, Canada needs to retain all the talent that comes our way. CFIB has always maintained the position that it is a terrible waste to have a foreign worker in Canada for four years building relationships with an employer and a community, only to send them back home, often against their wishes, and replace them with someone new.“Small firms I speak to want the 'Temporary' taken out of the foreign worker program,” he added. CFIB recommends a process to start foreign workers on a pathway to permanent residency regardless of skill level.“It is terrific to see the federal government make these important changes to help entrepreneurs throughout this country have access to the labour they need,” he added.Studies by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council found 60,000 vacancies in primary agriculture alone despite efforts to recruit Canadian workers. The figure is expected to increase to 114,000 by 2025. Agriculture loses about $1.5 billion in lost sales annually because of labour shortages. The aquaculture and food processing sectors have also missed significant export sales because of lack of sufficient workers.Ron Bonnett, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, called the initial federal changes encouraging. The government “realized there was a problem that needed to be addressed.” Helping foreign workers transition to Canadian citizenship is important.While further reforms to the program are crucial, “we need to do more work on how to encourage Canadians to move to rural communities. We need to explore the factors that keep Canadians from taking rural jobs.”Expanding rural broadband services would help both Canadian and foreign workers stay in touch with family and friends elsewhere, he added.In recent meetings with government officials, CFA has expressed concern that the four-year limit created unnecessary hardship for employers already struggling to fulfill their labour requirements, Bonnett noted.It limited the pool of available, experienced workers and led to significant retraining costs while reducing productivity. “CFA continues to see increased pathways to permanent residency as a vital component of any long-term strategy to reduce Canadian agriculture's labour shortages.Bonnett noted that farm groups want a multi-faceted, long-term strategic approach to solve worker shortages. That means reaching out to groups that are under-represented in the domestic agricultural labour force. They also want amendments to Canada's immigration policy to make skills training programs more supportive of farms and on-the-job training.Bonnett says CFA wants more details on federal requirements for employers to advertise job opportunities within Canada. CFA would like to see government work “with other stakeholders to address current barriers that confront those interested in working in the sector.”Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.