Update COVID-19: The Migrant Rights Network recently appealed to elected officials across Canada to support their call for income supports for migrant workers and non-status people living in Canada. So far, fifty-three elected officials responded in support of this proposal. Please find the letter and petition here.
The impact of COVID-19 is being felt by Canadians from coast to coast to coast, regardless of a person’s age, citizenship status, employment status, etc. Beside temporarily upending the way we live, work, play and shop, COVID-19 is also impacting our food supply chain, those who own the farms across Canada, and the workers who pick, plant and harvest our food.
Every year, nearly 50, 000 temporary foreign workers come into Canada for spring planting, the summer growing season and the fall harvest and picking season. Fruit and vegetable growers, fisheries, food processing plants and meat processing business all rely on temporary foreign workers to full labour shortages each year. Some foreign workers are here year-round, working in green houses, restaurants, hotels, private homes, or food processing plants. Others come under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program during specific times of the growing or harvesting season. While they may not all stay for a long period of time in our country, it is clear that temporary foreign workers are a vital part of Canada’s food supply chain and play an important role in the economy of Canada.
This year, a delay in the spring planting season, coupled with a reduced workforce could result in an overall reduction in the growing season’s yield. An outbreak amongst workers on a farm may impact the crop harvest, with some farmers already claiming that their harvest will be down by 50% in 2020. Several meat processors in Canada and the United States have slowed or suspended production in recent weeks, which could ultimately impact the selection available at the grocery store and raise prices. Other experts point to the spike in unemployment which has in turn increased the use of foodbanks as a factor that is amplifying food security issues and exposing vulnerabilities in Canada’s food supply chain.
In mid-March, the Federal Government of Canada closed its borders to all non-essential travelers. However, recognizing the serious impact a labour shortage might have on the food supply chain, an exception was provided to workers coming into Canada under the Federal Temporary Foreign Worker program. The alarm was raised about the impact of COVID-19 on the migrant worker population shortly thereafter when a number of foreign workers at a Kelowna nursery fell ill with COVID-19. Advocates were concerned that migrant workers would not be afforded appropriate access to healthcare, protections and wages while they self-isolate or should they fall ill.
Below are some of the new guidelines for Temporary Foreign Workers and Business Owners during COVID-19:
- Foreign workers must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.
- Employers are responsible for enforcing the social distancing rules and self-isolation orders.
- Each employer/employee will receive approximately $1,500 to offset the cost of the 14-day self-isolation order. This compensation is dependent on complying with the Quarantine Act.
- Some Provinces are waiving wait times to access to healthcare coverage and accepting COVID-19 related claims.
- Employers face significant penalties (fines, jail or both) if they fail to observe the 14-day quarantine order.
- Employers must supply employees with transportation, accommodation, food and access to sanitation supplies during the 14-day quarantine period.
- The government will modify the Labour Market Impact Assessment and waive the 2-week recruitment period; workers under the low wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program can now secure employment for 2 years, not 1.
Like any other foreign traveler coming into Canada right now, migrant workers are expected to observe a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period before they can begin their essential work in Canada’s orchards, fields and greenhouses. Since most of them are provided accommodation by their employer, the responsibility to support social distancing and enforce the 14-day quarantine falls to individual business owners, farmers and workers.
On Monday April 13, 2020 the Federal Government announced a $50 million dollar fund to assist the agricultural and food processing sectors implement and offset the cost of the 14-day mandatory self-isolation rules for newly landed migrant workers. However, details on how this would be enforced by the respective provinces were not immediately clear. Some advocates opposed this funding package for employers because they said that many of the traditional costs associated with employment are often unfairly transferred onto the migrant workers themselves. Some of the $50 million in announced funding will go to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to increase the number of inspectors who ensure safety protocols are being observed so that processing plants and agriculture operations can continue to operate.
In recent weeks, the shutdown of the Cargill meat processing plant largely staffed by migrant workers and an outbreak of COVID-19 in an Ontario greenhouse impacting as many as 40 migrant workers, have pointed to serious health and safety issues for a highly marginalized population of workers and has called into question these guidelines.
Housing for migrant agricultural workers has in the past been criticized for being overcrowded and inadequately equipped to house workers. In times of COVID-19, social distancing measures and good health hygiene in this type of shared accommodation will likely prove difficult. Hotels have been recommended as one alternative to ensure migrant workers are observing the mandatory 14-day self-isolation separately before accessing shared accommodations at their place of employment. Quebec even reported that public health officials would be responsible for following up with employers to ensure compliance with the mandatory quarantine period.
We know that in non-pandemic times, foreign workers are reluctant to report job related injuries, unsafe and exploitative working conditions or illness, for fear of losing wages and the opportunity to come back to Canada the following year. This reality doesn’t change under the current conditions. Instead, foreign workers may be at an elevated risk for contracting and spreading COVID-19 as they physically cannot observe social distancing measures when living in shared accommodations, and some may choose to remain silent.
Earlier this month, provinces across the country have reacted to some of these concerns. For example, the Province of British Columbia waved the waiting period for provincial medical coverage for foreign workers who may have COVID-19 related health claims. The Government of Ontario is also waiving the three-month waiting period for OHIP coverage and will cover the cost of COVID-19 services for those who are uninsured or do not meet the OHIP criteria. Officials in the Province of Quebec have also announced that the cost of healthcare will be covered for those who meet do not typically meet the provinces criteria for health coverage. Finally, advocates with Health Care for All in Alberta have recently called upon the provincial government to expand coverage to those without status, including temporary foreign workers, as they worry that those who might fall ill from COVID-19 in the province may not seek treatment due to financial barriers.
Although Canada relies on the significant contribution made by famers and foreign workers to food production and processing, year after year, 2020 and its pandemic bring along not only challenges, but also opportunities. It is hard to recall a time when there was this level of attention paid to supporting our domestic supply chain and calls from neighbors to ‘buy local’ to stimulate our economy. While we gather on our doorsteps and balconies to cheer the efforts of essential workers, why not also raise our voices in support of rights and protections for Canada’s essential foreign workers too?
Resources for Migrant Workers:
The Migrant Worker Hub has put together a list of COVID related resources and updates for migrant workers.
The Government of Canada has produced a document with guidelines for employers of Temporary Foreign Workers During COVID-19.
Polaris has written a post about the impact of COVID-19 on domestic workers, many of whom are now at an increased risk for exploitation.
The Government of Canada has additional, non-COVID-19 related information about the rights of Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada.
Service Canada has a TFWP Fraud Reporting tool for workers to report unsafe work environments or abuse.
Migrant workers experiencing abuse can now apply for an open work permit.
Migrant workers experiencing exploitation and trafficking are invited to call the confidential, 24/7 Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline, 1 833-900-1010 to access supports and services.