Federal Liberal candidate and Edmonton City Councillor Amarjeet Sohi is calling for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to take action after a Conservative MP said "brown people" are taking jobs from "whites."

Over the weekend, iPolitics reported that New Brunswick MP John Williamson told delegates at a conference in Ottawa that it makes no sense to pay "whities" to stay home while companies bring in "brown people" as temporary foreign workers (TFWs). Williamson later apologized "unreservedly" on Twitter, admitting he used "offensive and inappropriate language."

"The comments were hurtful, offensive and completely inappropriate from a parliamentarian," said Sohi on Monday.

Sohi is running for the federal Liberal Party in Edmonton-Mill Woods in the next general election and has served as a city councillor in Ward 12 since 2007.

"Prime Minister Harper has the responsibility to set the record straight and send the message that these kinds of comments have no place in his government and no place in a modern multicultural society like ours...Moreover, any mismanagement of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program falls squarely on the Conservative government.

"Blaming vulnerable workers for the program's failures is unacceptable."

Williamson's comments were reportedly in response to a question about the shortage of workers in meat packing and processing plants during the Manning Networking Conference in Ottawa.

"My part of the country, I deal with temporary foreign workers and the interaction with employment insurance, and it makes no sense from my point of view -- I'm going to put this in terms of colours but it's not meant to be about race -- it makes no sense to pay 'whities' to stay home while we bring in brown people to work in these jobs," he reportedly said.

The Conservative government announced sweeping reforms to the TFW program last year. The new rules require employers not to cut down the hours of Canadian workers or lay them off at work sites that employ TFWs but Alberta companies say the changes have left them struggling to find Canadian workers.

matthew.dykstra@sunmedia.ca

@SunMattDykstra