Canada-bound cohort cites benefits of farm work programme
Published:Thursday | January 4, 2024 | 12:09 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
A very optimistic Andre Smith applied for the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP) in early 2022 and did the required interview. But, after waiting for months with no updates, he became a little discouraged.
“To how the time weh dem tek fi call mi back, mi just tek mi mind offa it cause true mi a do two work, mi just tek mi mind offa it ... mi nuh really think bout it too much,” the 33-year-old farmer and construction worker said. He told The Gleaner that this was his way of managing his expectations to avoid any disappointment.
But his doubts were erased when he received news in December that he had been chosen to participate in the programme established 58 years ago. He was overjoyed.
“I feel great ... for this experience. I feel great!,” he said excitedly.
On Wednesday, the Brampton, St Elizabeth, native was among 111 workers participating in the inaugural send-off ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in Kingston.
And while he is not looking forward to the cold weather in Canada, the father of three said he is happy for the opportunity to provide a better life for his family.
“Mi just wah go get a better income fi mi and mi family and work and come back home, and suh, so they can request mi back, and mi go over back again,” the first-time participant said.
For the last 38 years, Noel Johnson, a small farmer from Lawrence Tavern, St Andrew, has been participating in the Canadian SAWP. Like Smith, he was motivated by the chance to provide a better life for his family, and it has paid off.
A grinning Johnson said his three children are now working professionals, a life he said he would not have been able to provide for them without being part of the programme.
“It take much outta you, cause to pay school fee, my wife wasn’t working at that time to take care of the kids, so you have to send money back home to pay light bill, phone bill, and everything, so it take much. I’m just giving God thanks,” he said.
Stating that his experience on the programme has been positive, the 62-year-old said he is exploring the option of participating in the American SAWP next year.
The search for better financial opportunities is what led Jermaine Dixon to apply for the programme. At 24 years old, he was the youngest at the send-off ceremony.
For Dixon, the programme is foundational to him achieving financial freedom, which he says is integral to his dream of one day starting his own business.
The Christiana, Manchester, resident attended the Ebony Park HEART Academy in Clarendon, where he pursued skills in agricultural production and landscaping. Dixon, who is a former Christiana High School student, said he also has extensive experience helping his father out on the family farm.
He said his expectations of the programme are simple, “Just to get the experience, make some money, come back, and help the family.”
Although thrilled at the chance to travel for the first time, he also admitted that he was also anxious about going into the unknown.
“I just hope I don’t get none of the bad experience. Looking forward to only the good,” he said.
Working conditions investigation
Following allegations of mistreatment amounting to slave-like working conditions, a finding team was commissioned in September 2022 to investigate the Canadian SAWP and found that most of the Jamaican workers were satisfied with their working and living conditions.
Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles J. also led another investigation into the programme in October last year and the minister had indicated that recommendations from those investigations were being implemented to improve the process.
Yesterday High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica Emina Tudakovic sought to assure the farm workers that regulations have been enhanced and reporting channels strengthened to protect them.
“The majority of workers in Canada have a positive experience, but some do face abuse and substandard living conditions, and Canada is committed, and in conversations with your minister, I know that Jamaica is also committed to ensuring that your rights and dignity in all forms are protected,” she said.
Tudakovic also stressed the importance of the programme as mutually beneficial to both countries.
And declaring this year as the year to enhance the programme, Charles Jr said monitoring will also be increased.
“Every farm has been different, and that is why we work together to develop regulations and terms to ensure that they are at minimum standards. And we go out and do observations and we invest in a liaison office to make sure that there are persons with the responsibility of supporting,” he said.
The minister also urged the farmers to report any issues they encountered and charged them to work conscientiously.
“If you represent your country with a dignified, disciplined, and determined purposeful way, you will find that hundreds of others will be able to gain because people will attach Jamaica to a particular kind of conduct,” he said. “All of you represent the thousands of Jamaicans, the thousands of boys and girls who are depending on you to go and do well.”