Appoint team leaders for Canadian farm work programme

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The responses from the minister and his liaison officers about the plight of farmworkers in Canada are very unfortunate. I know they mean our workers well, but on this occasion they are placing the farm work programme ahead of the Jamaican workers.

The labour and social security ministry sending these Jamaicans to over 600 farms in a country as big as Canada (3.8 million square miles) to be monitored by 13 liaison officers is very inadequate in the first place.

Some owners/operators of these farms will be aware of this impossible task and may seize on it to increase their profitability, so we should give our people a listening ear.

As I understand it, Canada is one of the few countries in the world that is self-sufficient in food production and in 2021, they exported over $80 billion worth of food, which tells me there are thousands of other workers in the agricultural sector. The programme accepts approximately only fifty to sixty thousand migrant workers from eleven Caribbean countries and Mexico each year.

As I see it, our workers are not trying to disrupt the programme. They left their country because they are trying to make a living for themselves and their families. All they are asking the minister to do is to look at the total programme and see how they match up with the other workers in the sector, where production, working hours/condition, pay, housing, mortality, etc., are concerned and be treated fairly.

May I suggest that when workers are getting ready to leave Jamaica and the briefings are taking place, along with being given contact numbers for their liaison officer, a member of each group per farm be appointed team leader of the Jamaica contingent, with the knowledge of the owner/operator.

These team leaders can be supplied with prepared forms to fill in the monthly activities on their farm (good or bad) and send it monthly to their liaison officer.

It is my understanding that the Canadian Labour Department is aware of the issues and is looking into it. Let’s hope our Government will do the same and good sense will prevail.

JOHN CHEN