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Articles on temporary foreign workers

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A temporary foreign worker from Mexico works on a berry farm in Mirabel, Que., in May 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

New regulations on migrant farm workers should tackle employer/employee power imbalances

Amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations fail to address the power imbalances at the heart of the temporary foreign worker program.
Migrant farm workers were disproportionately affected by COVID-19 because of poor housing conditions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

For migrant farm workers, housing is not just a determinant of health, but a determinant of death

Poor housing put migrant workers at risk for COVID-19. A federal government consultation on national housing standards is a crucial opportunity to support migrant workers’ health, safety and dignity.
The health and well-being of temporary foreign workers in the seafood industry in Atlantic Canada are disregarded in favour of business and economic concerns. (Paul Einerhand/Unsplash)

Profits trump COVID-19 protections for migrant seafood workers in Atlantic Canada

Debates about public safety and temporary foreign workers continue without input from those whose health is most affected. Migrant workers themselves are largely invisible amid discussions about risk.
A temporary foreign worker from Mexico plants strawberries on a farm in Mirabel, Que., in May 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Rethinking the boundaries between economic life and coronavirus death

COVID-19 has proven that prioritizing the economy over the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable should never be an acceptable fix to economic woes.
The 100 days of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of our food system, including the treatment of migrant labourers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

100 days of coronavirus has sent shock waves through the food system

COVID-19 has given society a teachable moment, and we should now establish the policies, programs and technologies to ensure our food system becomes stronger, more resilient and more equitable.
Mexican migrant farmworkers sort cherries at one of Canada’s largest cherry orchards in British Columbia. Elise Hjalmarson

Canada’s Emergency Response Benefit does nothing for migrant workers

COVID-19 may not discriminate, but Canadian policy does. Income support during the pandemic must be extended to everyone, including migrant and undocumented workers.
Organized labour held demonstrations in front of Tim Hortons franchises in Ontario in January 2018 to protest the actions some Tim Hortons franchises have taken in response to an increase in the province’s minimum wage. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

The issues facing Canadian workers this May Day

May Day is a time to reflect on labour struggles of the past and demands for the future, and Canada’s move toward increasing the minimum wage is not enough. Labour politics is about who counts

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