Hiring temporary foreign workers for a permanent labour demand, a look at Canada’s ‘disposable’ workforce

BY JANIECE CAMPBELL

“Due to a lot of immigration restrictions, agricultural workers face a lot of injustices on the farms. This current crisis only accentuates it.” – Chris Ramsaroop

There’s a certain encouraging message broadcasted nearly every day. From the Prime Minister down to the mayors, they never fail to remind us one thing; as Canadians, “we’re all in this fight together.”

 But, are we really?

That message seems a bit faulty, especially when looking at migrant labourers, the subjects of injustice in our country for over half a century.

Justicia for Migrant Workers (J4MW) is a volunteer advocacy group for migrant workers. They help to bring awareness to the community and the exploitive conditions that the indentured labourers work under. “Our role is to be the voice for the workers,” says Chris Ramsaroop, an organizer for J4MW. “We want to develop the channels and the instruments to have an ongoing relationship with migrant workers.” For nearly 20 years, the group has been addressing the systematic inequalities that these workers face, some of which have heightened amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Foreign workers are employed typically for up to 8 months through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) to assist with significant labour shortages. Originating through a government agreeance between Canada and Jamaica in 1966, the program still progresses today with workers from a plethora of Caribbean countries and Mexico. This program was essential for labour migration in Canada and accounts for more than 60% of foreign workers entering the country annually.

When we think about agricultural labour, I’d assume that most imagine workers tending to vast crops of fruits and vegetables that we’d later see in our local grocery stores. Most don’t necessarily consider the conditions that these labourers work under are very different than most jobs, and in many cases, almost reminiscent to slavery.

“They are often denied over-time pay. They’re denied work hours. Every minute is regimented on what they can and cannot accomplish. They’re dependent on their employer for transportation. Basic health and safety protection equipment is often excluded, and there’s always a threat of being sent home.”

 As the demand for food increases as a result of the pandemic, the Government of Canada is continuing to allow the entry of more temporary foreign workers and is providing $50 million towards the industry in support. The money allocated is to help cover the costs of self-isolation requirements, though many activists are concerned that these safety measures won’t hold up on farms that already have crowded housing conditions.

“The federal government of Canada, the provincial government of Ontario and the Agricultural Lobby have a focus on the idea of protecting the country’s food supply chain and ensuring the security of food for its own people. [J4MW] is focussed on uncovering how Canada is promoting a food system where the people who put food on our table are going hungry.”

In recent weeks, a community in Leamington, ON shamed migrant workers online for their lack of applying social distancing standards. This prompted the Ontario Provincial Police to upload a YouTube video in an attempt to educate workers of their responsibility to socially distance in public. Failure to follow the rules will result in tickets or fines.

“The irony is that people are so enraged about the absence of social distancing in the community, but they don’t have those same reservations for the conditions these workers are living in,” says Ramsaroop.

The concerns raised by J4MW with this are that police and the government are not being held accountable for these actions. “Actions by OPP and other police agencies, such as ticketing and fining, will have significant economic implications for a population that lives and works below the poverty line. In addition, ticketing migrants may also have dire consequences on their immigration status and the ability of workers to return to Canada to work in the future,” says J4MW.

On your next trip to the grocery store, before you pick up those crisp apples, remember the temporary migrant workers who are being used for a permanent labour demand.

“We want to encourage people to put pressure on our government. They need to address the absence of fairness and dignity that these workers face,” says Ramsaroop.