Last week, UN special rapporteur Tomoya Obokata released a report condemning Canada’s temporary foreign worker program as “a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.” Obokata’s report raises concerns about the conditions many workers face, including exploitation and abuse by their employers. The report also points out that workers are reluctant to complain due to the risks of deportation and […]
We are angry and saddened, but not surprised, to learn of the death on Christmas Day of another person in Canada Border Services Agency detention. This death took place at the newly built immigration detention centre in Surrey. As long as the CBSA continues to detain migrants, deaths in detention will continue. In the CBSA’s statement, which does not share […]
We are writing as members of Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture (RAMA Okanagan), a collective supporting migrant farmworkers in the Okanagan Valley. We are part of a national coalition of organizations who support and advocate for Temporary Foreign Workers. We understand that you are visiting the Okanagan and meeting with people in the agricultural sector. It is critical that […]
Dear School Board Trustees, School District 23: I write to urge School District 23 School Board to implement a Sanctuary School policy so that all children residing in the district, regardless of their immigration status, can access education without fear of apprehension or deportation by immigration officials. We have been closely following School Board trustees from SD 40 and their […]
Research study points to insufficient action by health care system and province, contributing to deaths of migrant agricultural workers (Feb 1, 2022). Nine migrant agricultural workers died in Ontario between 2020 and 2021, with additional deaths reported in other regions of Canada. Many of these workers died during quarantine. A new study suggests that various points of intervention are necessary […]