2006
Sofia Lowe
For the last 40 years, migrant farm workers from the Caribbean and Mexico have been recruited to work temporarily on Canadian farms under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP). In 2002, the pilot Foreign Worker Program (FWP) for low skilled migrant workers was initiated in the province of Quebec and under this program began the recruitment of Guatemalan migrant farm workers. Since the program's start, the number of Guatemalan migrants has nearly tripled and there seems to be a decline in the number of workers hired under the SAWP in Quebec. This paper examines the FWP's development, set-up, consequences and operation alongside the SAWP and shows how the Canadian state is expanding the number and flexibility of temporary worker programs. This paper draws attention to the neo-liberal context of migrant farm labour in Canada, pointing to the ways in which Canada's federal policies governing seasonal agricultural migrants and the agricultural labour market are exploitative and racist. Key Words . migrant; agriculture; seasonal; temporary; racism; foreign labour; Foreign Worker Program; Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program
Ryerson University (Canada)
M.A.
Canada
Agriculture and horticulture workers
Policy analysis et Cas d’abus documentés
Législateurs et Chercheurs
Droit de changer d’employeur, Droit de choisir son lieu de résidence, Droit de se syndiquer, Normes du travail, Santé et sécurité au travail, Programmes d’intégration des nouveaux arrivants, Santé et services sociaux, Accès à un statut permanent et Réunification des familles
México, Quebec, Guatemala et Other Caribbean States
Agriculture, Études culturelles et ethniques, Droit, Gestion des ressources humaines, Science politique et Socioligie
Anglais