Migrant workers excluded from review

Advocates say sessions are planned at times inconvenient for workers

Ottawa is excluding migrant workers from participating in its ongoing consultations into the use of foreign workers on farms by making it impossible for them to attend, say advocacy groups.

“Under the disguise of openness, fairness and inclusiveness, the consultation process perpetuates the imbalance of power in our temporary foreign worker program,” said Chris Ramsaroop of Justicia for Migrant Workers, a volunteer-run group that promotes workers’ rights.

At issue, advocates said, is the scheduling of the meetings, which have been limited to day hours during the week, when farm workers are unable to attend.

“There are no migrant workers in the rooms for these conversations. It’s mostly employers and their own lobbyists. How can any meaningful changes that reflect the needs of migrant workers come from this process?” asked Syed Hussan of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change in Ontario.

“We are calling on Employment Minister Patricia Hajdu to step in and restart this process, this time with migrant worker involvement.”

Employment and Social Development Canada said the government is committed to an “inclusive and representative” consultation process and has invited advocacy groups to attend these meetings.

“The program is also providing other opportunities for en- gagement, including teleconferences, written submissions and an online survey,” Amélie Maisonneuve, the department’s spokesperson, told the Star.

The cross-country meetings, co-ordinated by Hill+Knowlton, began in Ottawa on May 4 and have since travelled to Abbotsford, B.C., Kelowna, B.C., Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Halifax, Charlottetown and Montreal. The next two stops are in Ontario — Simcoe on Monday and Chatham on Wednesday.

In an information sheet sent to advocacy groups, Employment and Social Development Canada said the consultations focus on program eligibility and structure, wages and deductions, housing for workers and the approval process for employers to bring in workers.

“It’s foreign agricultural workers whose lives are the most affected by government policies around the program since they have the least power and voice and are the ones in the most precarious situation in the scheme of things,” said Joey Calugay of the Migrant Workers Association in Quebec.