By Thomas I. Likness
Eagle News Service
(Eagle News) — In a scathing report, Canada’s auditor general says the federal government did not enforce pandemic regulations for temporary foreign workers employed on Canadian farms.
“Inspections of employers’ compliance with new and existing regulatory requirements were poorly executed and provided little assurance that temporary foreign workers in Canada’s agriculture sector were protected,” said Auditor General Karen Hogan in her report to Parliament.
Some of the problems Hogan notes included failure to ensure the workers were able to properly quarantine when they arrived in Canada.
She also expressed concern that sick or symptomatic workers could properly isolate from others.
Hogan says little progress has been made to improve the living conditions for the workers, including putting limits on the number of workers who can share a bedroom, and requiring that washrooms be within the workers’ accommodations.
She adds there is no assurance the accommodations had proper heating and cooling, or adequate kitchen facilities.
Hogan blames the poor inspections on heavy workloads for inspectors and inadequate training.
Canada relies heavily on foreign farm workers who come to the country on a seasonal basis.
At the beginning of the pandemic, there were COVID-19 outbreaks on some farms and at least three workers died.
Hogan says inspectors failed to act quickly when employers reported outbreaks.
None of Hogan’s findings are surprising to the head of an advocacy group for foreign workers.
“Since the pandemic hit, we have warned of the crisis facing migrant farm workers,” said Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. “They are denied permanent immigration status and therefore cannot assert the few rights they have, or complain about their crowded housing and dangerous working conditions.”
Hussan calls for permanent immigration status for all migrant workers, saying it is the only way they can protect themselves.
“The problem is the system of temporary labour migration itself that produces the abuses and crises the Auditor General uncovered,” he said.
(Eagle News Service)