Michigan’s migrant farmworkers are the backbone of the country’s second-most diverse agricultural economy. Social and labor protections for them fall short.
The federal government needs to recognize and address the structural problems of the current migration system that lead to migrants living and working in Canada without authorized immigration status.
Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in the US, with workers exposed to vehicles, chemicals and heavy equipment. Women working on farms face another risk: sexual assault.
Amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations fail to address the power imbalances at the heart of the temporary foreign worker program.
Australia is rapidly expanding visa programs for Pacific Islanders to fill labour shortages. More needs to be done to overcome cultural tensions in local communities.
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.
Rather than listening to the grievances of illegal farm workers Australia is threatening them with exploitation while broadening the means by which agricultural employers can bring workers into Australia.
Many farmers want to do the right thing. But their livelihoods will be threatened if weak visa rules allow dodgy operators to mistreat migrant workers.
How to keep food prices down? Use technology to change the way we produce food and public policy to ensure there’s a fair price put on things like climate change, human labour and animal welfare.
For much of its history Canada has encouraged people to come and work in this country. However, racialized migrant workers often face an immigration system designed to leave them powerless.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought further suffering to migrant workers in Canada already experiencing the abuses of discriminatory immigration policies and poor working conditions.
In the wake of COVID-19, researchers can become trusted figures of authority who can re-appropriate their networks, skills and knowledge to better the lives of vulnerable populations.
Elise Hjalmarson, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID)
COVID-19 may not discriminate, but Canadian policy does. Income support during the pandemic must be extended to everyone, including migrant and undocumented workers.