June 17, 2020
Sent to:
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 1341 Baseline Road Ottawa, ON K1A 0C5
The Honourable Marco Mendicino
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 365 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
OPEN LETTER RE: SUPPORT FOR MIGRANT WORKERS ON FARMS UNDER CANADA'S TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER PROGRAM AND SEASONAL AGRICULTURE WORKER PROGRAM
Dear Minister Bibeau and Minister Mendicino,
We write to you today following the tragic death of two migrant workers from Mexico in recent weeks in relation to COVID-19 outbreaks on farms in southern Ontario, and with more than 280 additional confirmed cases in the region. As the NDP Critics for Agriculture and Agri-Food and for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, we have deep concerns for the plight of migrant workers on farms under Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program and Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program.
Earlier this week, on June 8th, the Migrant Workers Alliance published a damning report entitled Unheeded Warnings: COVID-19 & Migrant Workers in Canada. This report compiles data from phone calls with 180 migrant workers calling on behalf of 1,162 workers between March 15 and May 15, 2020. The results are alarming. As not all migrant workers may have access to a phone or are in possession of the Migrant Workers Alliance phone number, the report is by no means an exhaustive analysis of the conditions other agricultural migrant workers may be exposed to under the current realities of COVID-19.