TY - RPRT T1 - Urgent reforms needed for migrant agricultural workers, says UFCW Canada in new report CY - Canada PB - UFCW Canada & The Agriculture Workers Alliance N2 - UFCW Canada, the country’s leading advocate for agricultural workers for over 30 years, is calling for urgent reforms to protect the health, safety and rights of migrant workers in a new report. The Status of Migrant Agricultural Workers in Canada 2023: Special Health & Safety Report examines critical health and safety concerns of the current system, described as contemporary form of slavery, that leaves migrant workers vulnerable to ongoing abuse and exploitation. UFCW’s new report highlights the dangers that migrant agricultural workers face while in Canada, including sub-standard living conditions, chemical hazards, heat stress, and more. These workers face unique health and safety challenges due to their living and working conditions, lack of access to healthcare, and language barriers. The tens of thousands of migrant workers are an integral part of the multi-billion dollar Canadian agricultural industry, providing crucial labour while working in conditions that has been described as “systematic slavery” by workers. In September of 2023, UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, raised concerns about Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs, stating that they can foster contemporary forms of slavery. Canada’s employer-specific work permits make workers especially vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in developed countries. The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that at least 170,000 agricultural workers worldwide lose their lives annually, with millions more suffering severe injuries or poisoning from agrochemicals. UFCW’s report concludes with urgent recommendations to address the health and safety concerns, including access to collective bargaining, improved housing conditions, reduced pesticide exposure, and more. In addition, the report calls on every level of government – federal, provincial, and municipal – to implement critically needed reforms for migrant workers. For more than three decades, UFCW Canada has led the fight for migrant workers’ rights. To learn more about this advocacy and the reforms that are urgently needed, see UFCW Canada's report: The Status of Migrant Farm Workers in Canada, 2023. Y1 - 2024/// UR - https://www.ufcw.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33571:urgent-reforms-needed-for-migrant-agricultural-workers-says-ufcw-canada-in-new-report&catid=10389&Itemid=6&lang=en Y2 - 2024-02-01 ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Debt, Migration and Exploitation: The Seasonal Worker Visa and the Degradation of Working Conditions in UK Horticulture CY - United Kingdom PB - Landworkers’ Alliance (LWA) N2 - A new report from the Landworkers’ Alliance (LWA) shines a light on the systemic drivers of exploitation in the UK immigration system with regard to seasonal fruit and veg pickers. The report ‘Debt, Migration and Exploitation: The Seasonal Worker Visa and the Degradation of Working Conditions in UK Horticulture’ has been written in collaboration with the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, New Economics Foundation, Focus on Labour Exploitation, Sustain and a farmer solidarity network of former migrant seasonal workers. Seasonal work plays a significant role in UK agriculture. The government estimates that between 50,000 and 60,000 seasonal workers are needed annually to bring in the wider harvest across the UK, and these workers are almost entirely recruited from outside the UK. The latest report from LWA adds to this mounting body of evidence, and lays bare the legal and economic structures that facilitate the exploitation of farmworkers by the industrial food system, giving a platform for farmworkers to share their own account of life on the UK’s farms and develop solutions to the abuses they have faced. The report also includes a supply chain analysis carried out by the New Economics Foundation, which reveals that migrant seasonal workers picking soft fruit retain on average just 7.6% of the total retail price of the produce. Furthermore, the report outlines how workers who have to pay illegal broker fees (money paid by migrant workers to recruitment agencies in their home countries) can result in negative earnings. This means that after accommodation, subsistence and travel costs, some workers are essentially left out of pocket and end up paying more to come to the UK and work, than they keep as retained income to take home. Another chapter in the report features an extended testimony from a former migrant seasonal worker from Nepal, in which they describe the exploitation of recruitment agencies, the debt associated with taking out loans to pay for agency fees and the need for the UK Government to design a more safe and secure seasonal visa scheme. In response to issues raised in previous chapters relating to the supply chain, workers’ rights violations, and lack of redress, the final section of the report explores alternative approaches to labour rights, based on worker-led social responsibility (WSR), using the experience of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and Fair Food Program (FFP) in Florida as a case study. Y1 - 2023/// UR - https://viacampesina.org/en/the-landworkers-alliance-seasonal-worker-visa-and-the-degradation-of-working-conditions-in-uk-horticulture/ Y2 - 2024-02-06 ER - TY - NEWS T1 - Jamaican migrant workers in Ontario pen open letter likening conditions to 'systematic slavery' CY - Toronto PB - CBC News N2 - Jamaican migrant farm workers in Niagara Region wrote an open letter to Jamaica's Ministry of Labour requesting more support in the face of what they call "systematic slavery," days before a migrant worker died in Norfolk County. A1 - Raza, Ali Y1 - 2022/// UR - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/jamaican-migrant-workers-open-letter-1.6557678 Y2 - 2022-08-22 JA - CBC News ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Trafficking in persons in the agriculture sector: human rights due diligence and sustainable development - Report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children PB - United Nations Human Rights Council N2 - The present report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Siobhán Mullally, was prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 44/4. Characterized by high levels of informality, lack of oversight and protection, trafficking in persons remains a serious concern within the agricultural sector, affecting both adults and children. Temporary, seasonal and migrant workers are provided with limited protection and remain at risk of exploitation. Discrimination on grounds of race, ethnicity, migration status, gender and disability create conditions within which trafficking occurs with impunity. Restrictive migration policies persist, despite demand for agricultural workers. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic saw the designation of agricultural workers as “essential”, yet this did not lead to improved worker protections or expanded safe migration pathways. Child labour remains prevalent within the agriculture sector, with continuing significant risks of trafficking affecting both boys and girls. The growth of agribusiness and the power of corporations, combined with the rapid pace of climate change, have further exacerbated risks of trafficking in persons. Agriculture, and specifically intensive agriculture, is contributing negatively to climate change, reflecting the wider nexus between trafficking in persons, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and the climate crisis. Land inequality, particularly affecting women and girls, remains a key driver of exploitation, including trafficking for forced labour. Linked to legacies of colonialism, conflict, patriarchal family and State structures, and racial discrimination, land inequality is exacerbated by the growth of large-scale industrial farming models and limited enforcement of international human rights law and labour standards. The present report examines the continuing prevalence of trafficking in persons in the agricultural sector, in particular, for purposes of forced labour. In the report, the Special Rapporteur highlights the importance of mandatory human rights and environment due diligence measures to combat trafficking in persons within the agriculture sector to achieve the goals of sustainable development. A1 - Mullally, Siobhán Y1 - 2022/// UR - https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5033-trafficking-persons-agriculture-sector-human-rights-due Y2 - 2022-06-15 ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Racism, Discrimination and Migrant Workers in Canada: Evidence from the Literature PB - Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) N2 - Canada is celebrated as a diverse, multicultural and inclusive nation, with many accolades to its name, and remains a destination of choice for many immigrants worldwide. It is described, similar to Australia and New Zealand, as a “settlement country,” where settlement is an integral part of nation building and immigration an intrinsic component of the national heritage (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2015).Footnote1 In short, despite some challenges, Canada is lauded as a successful immigrant nation, and perceived, in terms of its skilled migration system, as a “benchmark for other countries,” as supported by its strong integration outcomes (OECD, 2019). While the literature points to “cracks” in the Canadian immigration model, including “skilled” migration, overall it is widely considered as a model to be emulated by other Western industrialized nations – a phenomenon otherwise known as Canadian “exceptionalism” in the context of multiculturalism and immigration policymaking (Triadafilopoulos, 2021).Footnote2 When it comes to examining racism and discrimination within the Canadian immigration system as a whole, authors point to certain areas that need particular attention, one of which centers, as per the focus of this paper, on temporary migration.Footnote3 Indeed, on the subject of migrant workers, the literature is somewhat more tentative as to Canada’s successes. Accordingly, authors raise concerns that there are “two Canadas,” one of which is constituted by fault lines within temporary migration and defined by “zones of exceptionalism” characterized by substandard labour and social protections as well as restrictions on workers’ mobility.Footnote4 For the majority of authors, “race,” “class,” “gender,” or “geography” (that is, country of origin), but also “skill level” and “entry class” combine with wider historical, and current structures of discrimination to shape the experiences of migrant workers and their migration experience today. The primary objective of this review is to identify and analyze potential markers of racism and discrimination in immigration policy that impact migrant workers in Canada, most specifically those in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Caregiver Streams that are part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The review also examines the International Mobility Program, albeit from a more limited perspective, due to a still nascent, yet fast-growing, literature on the subject.Footnote5 Overall, studies and reports mostly focus on substandard conditions of labour, lack of access, or restricted access, to social services and permanent residence pathways that are typically available to workers from higher-waged and higher-skilled categories. Indeed, most of the literature, including reports from non-profit organizations, and parliamentary committees refer to issues of “abuse and exploitation” in temporary migration programs, including in specific segments of the International Mobility Program. While on the surface, it may appear that these references are dissociated from the terminologies and practices of racism and discrimination, they are in fact often articulated in the context of the historical racist genesis of the programs, and also to processes of racialization that may be drawn from systemic racism and discriminatory practices. Indeed, there is meaningful literature on the historical formation of temporary programs in Canada, and its relationship to racism and discrimination as constituted through gender, geography, and class. Most scholars suggest that these historical formations are key to understanding the situation facing migrant workers in Canada today as they continue to inform the shape and contents of policy. This is sometimes referred to as history’s “ongoing effects” or “lasting impacts.”Footnote6 In this light, the federal government recognizes that historical practices continue to drive processes of stigma and discrimination for racialized peoples (Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), 2020). In the case of migrants, for example, some scholars have drawn connections between systems of indentureship – described as a discriminatory practice – and temporary migration programs. Others point out that the seasonality of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program stems from the racist assumption that racialized peoples cannot adjust to the Canadian climate, nor “assimilate” to Canada due to their inherent nature, as another example. In addition to the above considerations, scholars argue that it is key to be cognizant of the factors surrounding the global movement of migrantsFootnote7 from the (mostly poorer) global South to the (mostly richer) nations of the global North,Footnote8 which is marked by migrants remitting to countries of origin; their separation from families; and isolation in their communities in Canada due to long hours of work; live-in arrangements (living with, or in close proximity to, employers), as well as language based, and other, barriers in accessing social benefits, labour protection information and compensation, legal aid, and settlement services. Relatedly, the literature refers to the “race”-based and gender-based barriers experienced by migrant workers. Authors point out that these unequal global realities may be replicated within nations, but also within households, for caregivers who still “live-in.” As noted, evidence of exploitative practices abounds within these programs, whether for migrant agricultural workers or caregivers. Caregivers, for example, experience downward social mobility in Canada, tied to the absence of the recognition of their foreign credential experience, but also barriers which prevent further study and/or employment choices. In this context, authors depict racism as a structural barrier and the “gendered, racialized, and classed immigration system” that feed into the downward mobility of female care workers (Lightman et al, 2021). There is also a gendered toll on caregiver mothers whose experiences – not unlike those of migrant mothers in temporary agricultural programs – illustrate the importance of examining these issues with an “intersectional” lens. The questions underpinning this study, as related to immigration policy, include: What are the commonly accepted definitions of racism and discrimination? What is the historical backdrop that informs Canada’s temporary migrant programs? What do we know about racism, discrimination and migrant workers? What kind of challenges are encountered by migrant workers on the grounds of “race,” class, gender and other identity factors? The intent of this paper is not to arrive at a fixed conclusion as to whether racism and discrimination exist within these programs, but rather to raise awareness of the debates within the literature and among experts. Having said this, there is a wide consensus in the literature that questions of “race,” “gender,” “class,” “geography” are inevitable factors that impact policies regarding migrant workers whether in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program. There is also a wide consensus that, in the case of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Caregiver Streams, their unequivocal rootedness in racism and discrimination inform the current nomenclature of immigration policies. In other words, though racism may no longer sustain or substantiate these programs, they may not be free of racism, due to the fact that they arose from racism. Some scholars point out that racism and discrimination are an intrinsic part of the matrix that make up these programs, depicting it as “institutional racism.” Others note that the rootedness of racism within these programs cannot be ignored, and that though explicit racist ideas may no longer sustain them, they may still have a discriminatory impact that prevents the full “humanization” of racialized migrants. Most authors, and organizations such as the Ontario Human Rights Commission, explain that discriminatory impact is to be assessed by the disproportional outcomes experienced by a social group, in this case, migrant workers. Are they mostly racialized? Do they mostly originate from the global South? Do they experience differential treatment with adverse and disproportionate effects on their health, participation in their communities, places of work and broader experiences? Are their contributions to the Canadian economy and society proportionally recognized? Depending on how one answers these questions, a thoughtful pause on how Canada addresses potential discrimination in temporary migration, may well be warranted. A1 - Mooten, Nalinie Y1 - 2021/// KW - racism UR - https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/reports-statistics/research/racism-discrimination-migrant-workers-canada-evidence-literature.html#s2-5 Y2 - 2022-10-19 ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Assessment of the risks of human trafficking for forced labour on the UK Seasonal Workers Pilot. CY - London PB - Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX), N2 - This report presents the findings of research conducted by Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) and Fife Migrants Forum (FMF) between March 2020 and February 2021. This research was initiated in order to seek to understand the risk of human trafficking for forced labour for people coming to Scotland on the Seasonal Workers Pilot (SWP) in the horticultural sector. A two-year SWP was announced by the UK government in 2018 in response to concerns raised by farmers about possible labour shortages in advance of and after the UK had left the European Union (EU). During the development and launch of the SWP the UK government did not engage in meaningful discussion with worker representatives on the scheme, despite serious concerns raised by experts on human trafficking and modern slavery. This report responds directly to these concerns, seeking to document the voices and experiences of the people who have come to Scotland on the SWP. In so doing it seeks to develop strategies that can be taken by the UK and Scottish governments to tackle the risks of human trafficking for forced labour on the SWP and to protect current and future workers. A1 - Robinson, Caroline Y1 - 2021/// UR - https://www.labourexploitation.org/publications/assessment-risks-human-trafficking-forced-labour-uk-seasonal-workers-pilot Y2 - 2022-04-11 ER - TY - GOVDOC T1 - Agri-Food Immigration Pilot (possibly enforced in 2020) A1 - Government of Canada,  Y1 - 2019/07/12/ UR - https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2019/07/agri-food-immigration-pilot.html Y2 - 2019-07-30 ER - TY - NEWS T1 - New immigration pilot will offer permanent residency to migrant farm-workers A1 - Wright, Teresa Y1 - 2019/07/12/ UR - https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/new-immigration-pilot-will-offer-permanent-residency-to-migrant-farm-workers-1.4505514 Y2 - 2019-07-30 JA - CTV News ER - TY - NEWS T1 - How migrant workers took on Ben & Jerry's – and won a historic agreement Y1 - 2018/02/25/ UR - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/25/ben-jerrys-migrant-workers-dairy-farms Y2 - 2018-02-28 JA - The Guardian ER - TY - NEWS T1 - This sexually abused migrant worker is now safe — but she knows others aren't N2 - Mere weeks after she came to Canada, the migrant worker was threatened with deportation. A1 - Mojtehedzadeh, Sara Y1 - 2017/// UR - https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/migrants/2017/10/07/this-sexually-abused-migrant-worker-is-now-safe-but-she-knows-others-arent.html Y2 - 2018-02-04 JA - The Toronto Star ER - TY - NEWS T1 - He's worked legally in Canada for 37 years but the government considers him ‘temporary’ N2 - Low-wage migrant farmworkers are a crucial and growing part of Canada’s economy. Yet in most cases it’s impossible for them to get permanents status, which experts say leaves them vulnerable to exploitation. A1 - Keung, Nicholas Y1 - 2017/// UR - https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/migrants/2017/10/05/hes-worked-legally-in-canada-for-37-years-but-the-government-considers-him-temporary.html Y2 - 2018-02-04 JA - The Toronto Star ER - TY - NEWS T1 - The murky world of the agencies that recruit temporary foreign workers CY - Calgary N2 - Chances are the migrant workers building condos in Vancouver, cleaning hotel rooms in Alberta or picking tomatoes in Ontario greenhouses paid fees to come to Canada and work in their low-paying jobs.In some cases, workers are further abused by recruiters who control their money, housing and movements. A1 - Dharssi, Alia Y1 - 2016/// KW - Agencies case of abuse UR - http://calgaryherald.com/news/national/the-murky-world-of-the-agencies-that-recruit-temporary-foreign-workers Y2 - 2016-11-10 JA - Calgary Herald SP - 1 ER - TY - NEWS T1 - Andy Hall of Migrant Workers Rights Network found guilty of Defamation in Thai court N2 - Andy Hall was on Tuesday found guilty of defamation and computer crimes in a Thai Court. The 36 year old British Man was sentenced to three years in jail and fined 200,000 baht in connection with his work on a 2013 report by aAndy Hall. Finnish advocacy group that accused Thai company Natural Fruit of violating the rights of its workers. The prison sentence was suspended for two years, effectively putting Hall on probation, a move which will impede his efforts to investigate corporate supply chains in Thailand. Y1 - 2016/// KW - Diffamation UR - http://www.samuitimes.com/andy-hall-of-migrant-workers-rights-network-found-guilty-of-defamation-in-thai-court/ Y2 - 2016-09-30 JA - SAMUI TIMES SP - 1 ER - TY - THES T1 - Up-rooted lives, deep-rooted memories: Stress and resilience among Jamaican agricultural workers in Southern Ontario CY - Hamilton, Ontario PB - McMaster University N2 - The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) is a transnational labour agreement between Canada, Mexico, and various Caribbean countries that brings thousands of Jamaican migrant workers to Canada each year to work on farms. This thesis explores Jamaican SAWP workers’ experiences of stress in Ontario, and situates these experiences within a system of power and international inequality. When describing their experiences of stress and suffering in Ontario, many Jamaican workers drew analogies between historic and modern slavery under the SAWP. However, stress discourses also inspired workers to emphasise their resilience, and many workers gave equal attention to explaining their inherent strength as “Jamaicans”, which they associate with national independence and the history of slavery. In this way, I suggest stress discourses are sites of flexibility and resilience for Jamaican workers, and this thesis presents the foremost cultural, political, and historical factors that support Jamaican workers’ resilience in Ontario. Moreover, the predominant coping strategies workers employ in Ontario will be explored within the context of their restricted agency under the SAWP. This thesis concludes with a discussion of stress as an expression of subjectivity that is characterised by strength, faith, and the history of slavery. A1 - Mayell, Stephanie Y1 - 2016/// VL - Masters T2 - Anthropology SP - 107 ER - TY - NEWS T1 - The shame of our disposable workers CY - Toronto PB - Toronto Star N2 - The case of fatally injured Jamaican farm hand Sheldon McKenzie exposes the injustices of the seasonal worker program. A1 - Cole, Desmond Y1 - 2016/05/19/ UR - https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2016/05/19/the-shame-of-our-disposable-workers.html Y2 - 2016-05-27 JA - Toronto Star ER - TY - NEWS T1 - Travailleurs agricoles saisonniers : un programme « pire que l`esclavage » CY - Montréal PB - Radio Canada A1 - Radio Canada,  Y1 - 2016/05/16/ UR - http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/ontario/2016/05/16/006-programme-travailleurs-agricoles-saisonniers-mort-sheldon-mckenzie.shtml Y2 - 2016-05-27 JA - Radio Canada ER - TY - NEWS T1 - Migrant worker program called `worse than slavery` after injured participants sent home without treatment CY - Canada PB - CBC N2 - The family of a migrant worker who died several months after a severe head injury says the program that brought him to Canada (SAWP) stripped him of his labour rights after he was hurt, then tried to cut off his access to health care. A1 - Marchitelli, Rosa Y1 - 2016/05/16/ JA - CBC News ER - TY - NEWS T1 - Ferme agricole: traités comme des «esclaves» à Drummondville PB - La presse A1 - Duchaine, Gabrielle Y1 - 2016/05/16/ UR - http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/justice-et-affaires-criminelles/201605/16/01-4982026-ferme-agricole-traites-comme-des-esclaves-a-drummondville.php Y2 - 2016-05-27 JA - La presse ER - TY - EJOUR T1 - La commission des relations de travail confirme l’accréditation de l’unité agricole de la section locale 1518 des TUAC chez Floralia A1 - UFCW/TUAC Canada,  Y1 - 2016/03/10/ UR - http://www.tuac.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30983:la-commission-des-relations-de-travail-confirme-l-accreditation-de-l-unite-agricole-de-la-section-locale-1518-des-tuac-chez-floralia&catid=9720&Itemid=6&lang=fr Y2 - 2016-03-15 ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Stop Breaking Our Hearts: Migrant Workers Urge Immigration Minister This Family Day Long Weekend to End Two-Tiered Immigration System so That Migrants Can Reunite With Families A1 - Ramsaroop, Chris A1 - Leal, Tzazna Y1 - 2016/// UR - http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2834838 Y2 - 2016-02-29 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Blacklisting as a modality of deportability: Mexico's response to circular migrant agricultural workers' pursuit of collective bargaining rights in British Columbia, Canada PB - Taylor & Francis N2 - This article illustrates how blacklisting can function as a modality of deportability among temporary migrant workers participating in a programme touted as a model of ordered migration internationally, with attention to sending state action. In 2010, Local 1518 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union applied successfully to British Columbia's Labour Relations Board to represent a group of circular migrants engaged under Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Worker Programme. Yet less than a year later, the union complained of unfair labour practices on the part of not only the host state employer and certain employees but sending state officials who select and assign workers to Canadian employers, contending that they blocked the visa reapplications of union members eligible for recall and improperly interfered in a decertification application. On account of the unique empirics available through this case, its analysis offers a window into practices which are routinely obscured but nevertheless central to how deportability operates. A1 - Geddes, Andrew A1 - Taylor , Andrew A1 - Vosko, Leah Y1 - 2015/// KW - foreign workers KW - temporary migration KW - labour rights KW - collective bargaining KW - Deportability KW - blacklisting KW - sending states UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2015.1111134 Y2 - 2015-12-01 JA - Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies VL - 41 ER - TY - RPRT T1 -  Citizenship and Precarious Labour in Canadian Agriculture N1 - Precarious status identi es individuals or groups to whom the following applies: “the absence of permanent residence authorization; lack of permanent work authorization; depending on a third party for residence or employment rights; restricted or no access to public services and protections available to permanent residents (e.g. health care, education, unionization, workplace rights); and deportability.”61 The concept of pre- carious status goes beyond either/or categorizations of migrant farmworker status (e.g. irregular/ regular, undocumented/documented, etc.) and recognizes the overlap or fuzziness between such categories and the membership norms, rights, regulations, public bene ts and so forth associated with each. On average, South Asian immigrant farmworkers were older, married women who came from India as Family Class immigrants and now held Canadian citizenship (65 per cent) or permanent resi- dence (35 per cent). Most had very little formal education: more than a fth lacked primary school education. Conversely, Mexican migrants were generally young, married men and had completed junior high school or higher. A majority were from the most populous (and poorest) central and southern states of Mexico, and more than half spoke an indigenous language, a strong indicator of indigeneity. While South Asian survey participants included mixed numbers of newcomers and longer-settled immigrants, the majority of Mexican migrants (84 per cent) had just begun their labour trajectories in Canada, and over three-quarters had only worked in British Columbia. A further principal nding was that most farmworkers — 74 per cent of Mexican migrants and 70 per cent of South Asian immigrants—did not receive health and safety training for their jobs at their principal worksite. PB - Canadian Center for Policy Alternative N2 - DISCUSSIONS ABOUT LOCAL FOOD and sustainable agriculture have not generally considered employment conditions for agricultural workers. However, in British Columbia almost all of these workers are immigrants and migrants, subject to coercive employment practices with serious con- sequences for health and safety. Farmworkers’ fear of losing hours or jeopardizing their employ- ment leads them to accept unsafe work or transportation, work long hours, work while ill or injured and, in the case of migrants, acquiesce to poor housing. Meanwhile, regulations and enforcement for this sector are very weak. Certainly our current food system can’t be seen as “sustainable.” This study explores how citizenship status affects agricultural employment, and makes comprehen- sive recommendations for change. Our research included questionnaires with 200 farmworkers; 53 in-depth interviews with stakeholders (farmworkers, growers, industry representatives, advocacy groups and Canadian and Mexican civil servants); and a detailed review of secondary data. A1 - Otero, Gerardo A1 - Preibish, Kerry Y1 - 2015/11/18/ KW - precarious employment KW - training barriers KW - language barriers KW - coercive labour practices UR - https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/BC%20Office/2015/11/CCPA-BC_CitizenshipPrecariousLabourCdnAgri_web.pdf Y2 - 2015-11-30 ER - TY - NEWS T1 - Provincial labour laws allow foreign workers to be treated like slaves, say advocates A1 - Spalding, Derek Y1 - 2015/07/06/ UR - http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/provincial-labour-laws-allow-foreign-workers-to-be-treated-like-slaves-say-advocates Y2 - 2015-07-28 JA - The Windsor Star ER - TY - RPRT T1 - La santé des travailleurs migrants temporaires dans le secteur agricole au Canada IS - WP#6 N2 - Revue de la littérature sur la santé physique et psychologique des travailleurs agricoles migrants temporaires au Canada Litterature review on migrant agricultural workers' physical and psychological health in Canada A1 - Deslauriers, Véronique Y1 - 2015/// T3 - Working papers du CÉRIUM/REDTAC-(im)migration ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Bitter Harvest: Exploitation and Forced Labour of Migrant Agricultural Workers in South Korea IS - ASA 25/004/2014 CY - London, UK PB - Amnesty International, International Secretariat N2 - As of 2013, around 250,000 migrant workers were employed in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) under the Employment Permit System (EPS). Since the establishment of the EPS ten years ago, Amnesty International has repeatedly raised concerns on how this work scheme directly contributes to human and labour rights violations by severely restricting migrant workers’ ability to change jobs and challenge abusive practices by employers. Similar concerns have also been raised by a number of UN bodies,2 but the South Korean government has consistently failed to implement their recommendations. As a consequence, a significant number of migrant workers continue to be regularly exposed to serious exploitation, which includes excessive working hours, unpaid overtime, denial of rest days and breaks, threats, violence, trafficking and forced labour Following Amnesty International’s previous research on the EPS in 2006 and 2009,3 this report focuses on migrant agricultural workers, who account for some 8% of all EPS workers.4 Agriculture is one of the sectors with the least legal safeguards and, consequently, migrant workers in this sector are at greater risk of exploitation and abuse. A1 - Amnesty International, International Secretariat,  Y1 - 2014/// KW - Underpayment KW - Late payment KW - Denial of Leave KW - Excessive hours UR - http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA25/004/2014/en/5e1c9341-d0ec-43c3-b858-68ad69bc6d52/asa250042014en.pdf Y2 - 2014-11-10 ER - TY - EJOUR T1 - The Next Chapter for Ontario Agriculture Workers A1 - UFCW Canada,  Y1 - 2014/// KW - Systemic Problem ER - TY - CASE T1 - Tobar-Pinto et Verger Caron enr. 2013 QCCLP 6184 A2 - 2013 QCCLP 6184 PB - Commission des Lésions Professionnelles A1 - Commission des lésions professionnelles,  Y1 - 2013/10/22/ UR - http://canlii.ca/t/g1nch Y2 - 2015-09-12 ER - TY - LEGAL T1 - Employment Insurance Regulations — Regulations Amending Employment Insurance Act SOR/2012-260 A1 - Duffy, Michael Y1 - 2012/12/09/ UR - http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2012/2012-12-19/html/sor-dors260-eng.html UR - http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2012/2012-12-19/html/index-fra.html Y2 - 2015-05-10 ER -