McDonald's Canada says it will hire more than 6,000 young people in a one-day blitz Thursday.

Job seekers can apply at participating restaurants or online at McDonalds.ca/Careers.

McDonald’s says that is the largest one-day hiring it has attempted. About 65 per cent of McDonald's Canada employees are aged 15 to 24, a demographic that is experiencing high unemployment rates.

The restaurant chain has held one-day hiring blitzes for the past few years at this time of year, when students are often looking for work.

McDonald’s is facing bad publicity over the issue of turning away young workers in favour of temporary foreign workers at restaurants in Victoria.

The restaurant chain is under federal investigation over possible abuses of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program at a franchise outlets in B.C.

CBC’s Go Public investigated complaints by Canadian workers at three franchises in Victoria that their hours had been cut so the restaurants could employ foreign workers brought in from the Philippines.

There were also reports that the restaurants had turned away young workers seeking employment.

The federal government has suspended all pending foreign worker permits for McDonald’s locations owned by franchisee Glen Bishop and has blacklisted his franchise from using the program, pending the outcome of the probe.

A spokesman for McDonald's Western Canada said work is underway to remove the Victoria franchise owner and run the three affected restaurants through its head office.

In its hiring efforts Thursday, McDonald’s said it will hire 6,000 crew members and 100 managers.