Minister pressed Jamaica over wages of migrant workers

OTTAWA — The federal labour minister was advised to fire back at a Carribbean country late last year ahead of a planned meeting to discuss changes to how much temporary foreign workers in Canada were expected to pay back to their home countries.

Up until 2016, an agreement between the governments of Canada and Caribbean countries allowed employers of migrant farm workers to withhold one-quarter of their wages and hand the money over to their home governments.

Most of the money, 20 per cent, was considered a forced savings plan, and the remaining five per cent was used to cover administrative costs.

The policy, however, violated employment laws in several provinces. Changes were made Jan. 1, 2016, so that only up to $5.45 a day of a migrant worker’s wages would flow back to the Caribbean to help those governments cover certain expenses. The deductions must be consented to, in writing, by the migrant worker. The Jamaican government was not pleased. A briefing note prepared for Labour Minister Patty Hajdu ahead of a planned November 2017 meeting with her Jamaican counterpart warned that she would hear an earful about the issue, given that Caribbean governments had “consistently voiced their disapproval of the elimination of the 25 per cent remittance policy.”

Officials recommended Hajdu counter by demanding Jamaica’s labour minister, Shahine Robinson, provide a detailed explanation of how much revenue the country collected from migrant workers, how the money was used and whether workers were reimbursed for any excess amounts.

Asked about the meeting, Hajdu’s office did not to offer any details. The briefing note about the program, which has repeatedly been beset by problems, not only highlights the ire of foreign governments over changes made to it by the Liberals, but also domestic concerns that the adjustments don’t go far enough.

The workers must also agree to allow employers to deduct $2.26 a day for utilities in most provinces. All provinces except British Columbia can also take $10 a day from the migrant workers’ wages to pay for their meals.

In B.C., employers who house temporary foreign farm workers off site can deduct up to $6.20 a day for rent, while the amount they deduct for food in that province depends on how many meals a worker eats, to a maximum of $12 a day.