J’cans facing racial abuse, exploitation on Canadian farms, Amnesty finds
Published:Monday | February 3, 2025 | 5:04 PMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
A Canadian employer involved in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP) reportedly used racial slurs to intimidate workers, including threatening to send Jamaican employees “back to the trees where you come from”. This was just one of the many documented cases of human rights violations highlighted in an Amnesty International report released yesterday.
The research, conducted between February 2023 and June 2024 with 44 migrant workers from 14 countries, revealed that such abuses are widespread in the Temporary Foreign Workers Programme (TFWP), which, annually, includes thousands of Jamaican workers.
The report exposed multiple instances of exploitation, hazardous working conditions, and other human rights violations.
In 2022, the Jamaican Government commissioned a fact-finding team to assess the SAWP, one of the TFWP programmes. The team visited 70 farms over two weeks, using random sampling to evaluate conditions. The resulting report indicated that most Jamaican workers were satisfied with their living and working conditions.
However, one Jamaican worker who travelled to Canada on the SAWP provided Amnesty International with photos showing filthy, stained toilets and food cabinets infested with cockroaches as well as “sticky traps” filled with dead insects.
Other Jamaican workers under the TFWP described being denied breaks; forced to work without days off; and unable to access proper food, water, or toilet facilities.
One worker shared how his Jamaican colleague was humiliated by their employer when he attempted to take a scheduled break after the employer had repeatedly reduced the length of their breaks. The employer responded by spraying him with a water hose, soaking him and causing significant mental distress.
Another worker recounted being exposed to unknown chemicals without proper safety gear, which led to serious illness.
“Canada’s migration policy has designed, regulated, and implemented the TFWP in such a way as to inherently increase racialised workers’ risk of labour exploitation and other abuses, creating discriminatory outcomes in violation of its international human rights obligations,” the report said.
The report highlights how the TFWP’s tied visa system facilitates these abuses. Migrants are granted temporary visas that are dependent on a single employer, who controls both their immigration status and work conditions. While Canadian regulations are supposed to ensure migrant workers have similar rights and protections as Canadian workers, those with tied visas often cannot access these rights.
“Tied visas render migrant workers dependent on employers to enjoy fair working conditions or to effectively access several of their rights, including the right to adequate housing, health, or social security,” the report stated.
“For instance, some migrant workers live in employer-provided accommodation and may find themselves homeless if they are dismissed. They rely on the employer to get access to health insurance or to get transportation to get medical care. They also depend on their employer to remain in the country with regular status and effectively access social benefits,” it added.
The report revealed that many workers risk having their contracts terminated and being swiftly repatriated if they fall ill, suffer injuries, or develop occupational diseases as they are deemed no longer “fit” for the job. Furthermore, any complaints they raise can lead to contract termination, loss of legal status, and in many cases, forced departure from Canada.
Additionally, many workers in low-skilled positions remain at risk of exploitation, with limited opportunities to improve their status or secure permanent residency. Canada’s immigration system offers few pathways for low-skilled workers to stay permanently, and in 2023, only 4,340 Jamaicans were granted permanent residency.
Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr was unable to give an immediate comment on the findings of the report when The Gleaner contacted him yesterday.
Amnesty International noted that Jamaica was one of the top countries supplying workers to the TFWP in 2023, alongside Mexico, India, the Philippines, and Guatemala, together accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the work permits issued.
The Planning Institute of Jamaica’s Economic and Social Survey of Jamaica 2023 reported a 5.3 per cent year-on-year decrease in the number of Jamaicans travelling to Canada as part of the overseas employment programme, dropping from 9,435 to 8,961.
The report cited several contributing factors, including inclement weather that damaged crops and led to the cancellation of “worker orders” by employers. Additionally, it noted that negative publicity surrounding the programme’s working conditions may have discouraged potential participants, further impacting overall participation numbers.