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Articles on Migrant farm workers

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Few consumers are aware of the migrant and seasonal farmworkers who make Michigan’s agricultural economy possible. Getty/ Maguey IMages

Michigan’s thousands of farmworkers are unprotected, poorly paid, uncounted and often exploited

Michigan’s migrant farmworkers are the backbone of the country’s second-most diverse agricultural economy. Social and labor protections for them fall short.
Migrant workers prune fruit trees in early spring in Pereaux, N.S. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Why Canada must act urgently to give undocumented migrants legal status

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.
Mexican migrant workers harvest parsley on a farm in Wellington, Colo. John Moore/Getty Images

Sexual violence is a pervasive threat for female farm workers – here’s how the US could reduce their risk

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.
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.
Food prices are poised to become higher post-pandemic. But using technology smartly and humanely can put the brakes to food price inflation. (Pixabay)

Food is poised to get a lot more expensive, but it doesn’t have to

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.
COVID-19 has laid bare how migrant workers in Canada are treated. (Tim Mossholder/Unsplash)

How we treat migrant workers who put food on our tables

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.
Temporary migrant workers in Canada are facing COVID-19 while dealing with an immigration system that leaves them vulnerable. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

COVID-19’s impact on migrant workers adds urgency to calls for permanent status

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.
A woman takes part in a protest in Montreal, Jan. 30, 2021, to demand status for all workers and to demand dignity for all non status migrants as full human beings as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

How we treat migrant workers who put food on our tables: Don’t Call Me Resilient EP 4 podcast + transcript

How we treat migrant workers who put food on our tables: Don’t Call Me Resilient EP 4 transcript
Farmworkers are essential workers who must decide every morning whether they will leave their home to work the fields to provide for their families and the nation. John Moore/Getty Images News via Getty Images

Rethinking what research means during a global pandemic

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.
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.

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