XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ab.politics   
   XPost: ont.politics, sk.politics   
   From: {~_~}@nyet.ca   
      
   "A moratorium" does not mean any of these foreign workers are going to   
   be let go.  Until Canadians start talking with action, McDonalds will   
   continue as it's doing.   
   Boycott McDonald's - until the foreign workers are sent home and   
   Canadians are working again in Canadian restaurants.   
      
   _______________________________________________   
      
   CBC News Posted: Apr 24, 2014   
      
   McDonald's Canada CEO calls foreign worker controversy 'bullshit'   
      
   In a recording of a conference call to franchisees, CEO John Betts rails   
   against CBC stories   
      
      
      
   The CEO of McDonald's Canada has branded recent criticism of its use of   
   temporary foreign workers "bullshit" in a conference call to franchisees   
   that was given to the CBC.   
      
   His remarks from earlier this week came before federal Employment   
   Minister Jason Kenney announced an immediate moratorium on the food   
   services sector’s access to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program late on   
   Thursday, as a result of CBC Go Public's inquiries.   
      
   ===>>         Listen to McDonald's CEO conference call   
      
   Three McDonald's franchises in Victoria and a pizza restaurant in   
   Weyburn, Sask., are at the centre of program abuse allegations involving   
   Canadian employees alleging foreign workers were given priority work   
   status or more hours.   
      
   A federal investigation into McDonald’s use of the temporary foreign   
   worker program was launched recently, after a Go Public story about a   
   Victoria McDonald’s franchise.   
      
   Tuesday's conference call was scheduled to address franchisees' concerns   
   that McDonald's Canada had decided to put its temporary foreign worker   
   program on hold, while a third party conducts an audit on its use of the   
   plan.   
      
   McDonald's initiated that independent audit in response to the   
   government investigation.   
      
   In a recording of the call given to the CBC, McDonald's Canada CEO John   
   Betts discusses recent CBC stories on the company's use of temporary   
   foreign workers and his resulting meeting with federal Employment   
   Minister Jason Kenney.​   
      
   "This has been an attack on our brand. This has been an attack on our   
   system. This is an attack on our people. It’s bullshit OK!  I used those   
   words when I described my conversation with the minister last week. He   
   gets it."   
      
   John Betts   
      
   The CBC has been given a recording of McDonald's Canada CEO John Betts   
   calling stories about its temporary foreign worker policy 'bullshit'. (CBC)   
      
   Betts says he was "incredibly impressed" with the minister, adding, "He   
   really knows his stuff. And I’ll say he knows his stuff from a business   
   person’s perspective."   
      
   Responding sarcastically to how his company has been portrayed in the   
   media, Betts said, "The fact of the matter is we are a big bad company,   
   corporate, you know, bad company and these poor maligned employees are   
   who they are."   
      
   "Yes, they are disenfranchised. Some of them don’t work for us anymore.   
   But in the scheme of things, it doesn’t matter."   
      
   "This story has been brewing for a lot of years. And you know at the end   
   of the day we just happen to be the business that got tapped into it and   
   we weren’t the first. Obviously, RBC was," said Betts, referring to a   
   previous CBC Go Public story.   
      
   "The reality is that we have learned internally that we haven’t done a   
   very good job in a lot more places than we thought and that’s just us on   
   the phone talking."   
      
      
   McDonald's Canada responds   
      
   In a statement released Thursday, McDonald’s Canada said it acted   
   “swiftly and forcefully” to investigate allegations some of its   
   restaurants have misused the foreign workers’ program.   
      
   “We do not tolerate any misuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program,   
   any breach of employment standards or any infractions of any kind   
   against our employees,” the statement said.   
      
   McDonalds also accused CBC News of being unfair and unbalanced in its   
   reporting of the story, saying the network had “relied on a handful of   
   disgruntled individuals, mostly ex-employees, to attempt to tarnish the   
   reputation of one of Canada’s leading employers.”   
      
   However, CBC News stands by its stories.   
      
   CBC News received information from dozens of current and former   
   McDonald's Canada employees and managers, who gave us a substantial   
   amount of information beyond the people who were quoted in our stories.   
      
   Much of our reporting relied on documentation including payroll records,   
   contracts and other internal McDonald's documents supplied to us by   
   employees or former employees.   
      
   CBC News submitted a total of six requests for on-camera interviews with   
   McDonald's Canada. Before we broadcast the three stories outlining the   
   workers' allegations, CBC News made several requests for information. In   
   total, we sent approximately two dozen emails to McDonald's Canada and   
   its franchisees asking for information.   
      
   While the company declined our requests for an on-camera interview,   
   McDonald's Canada did provide partial information via email.   
      
   In one email, sent on April 11, McDonald's Canada senior vice president   
   of communications and public affairs Richard Ellis told CBC News the   
   company would not comment publicly until a "comprehensive review" had   
   been completed.   
      
   "If, at the completion of this review, we decide to share our findings   
   publicly, I will commit to sharing that information with you first   
   before speaking with any other media. At that time I may also consider   
   providing more specific context via an on camera interview," Ellis wrote.   
      
   "In the meantime, as we undertake this extensive review, I would ask   
   that you respect our process and refrain from further outreach to   
   McDonald’s and our franchisees so we can get to the job at hand."   
      
   Ellis again responded to CBC News after April 11, when we asked for   
   information about allegations from a foreign worker who said he and his   
   co-workers were effectively forced to share an expensive apartment, then   
   deducted almost half their take-home pay as rent.   
      
   Ellis responded by saying the employee was disgruntled after being let   
   go after two months on the job.   
      
   "I suggest the input of an obviously disgruntled former employee is   
   hardly the type of information you should be using to base your report,"   
   Ellis said at the time.   
      
   This information was accurately reported in CBC's coverage.   
      
      
   Franchisees fear losing staff   
      
   During Tuesday's conference call with McDonald's Canada's CEO, one   
   franchisee in Alberta expressed concern about employees — temporary   
   foreign workers — who won't be able to get their work permits renewed.   
      
   "When that happens, every single foreign worker in Alberta is going to   
   leave us. They are scared. The restaurants are going to fall apart. This   
   is how it is on the ground," said the franchisee.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)