I am the co-editor (with labour scholar Bob Barnetson) of _Farm Workers in Western Canada: Injustices and Activism (U of Alberta Press, 2016), and with my team of scholars, activists, and lawyers, we succeeded in advocating that the Alberta NDP Government to pass Bill 6 which afforded farm workers the same protections (OHS, WCB) as other workers. Jason Kenney has rescinded Bill 6 and now farm workers in Alberta, even children laborers, have no protections. This situation is a travesty.
I support migrant workers’ struggle for better working conditions, health and safety protections and respect for their lives particularly now under the pandemic.
Maybe some people are afraid of putting their names down, I am not. The living quarters at High Park Tilray, Leamington, Ontario is deplorable . Grown men, some are grand-parents, live in rooms with two bunk beds . They live right outside of the gates of High Park so they can be easily accessible . Slavery is over and the Government of Canada should not and must not be allowed to continue to foster such inhumane treatment of human beings .
I believe the migrant workers come to Canada to do a job that most Canadians dont want to do.
They have a right to have food and proper shelter. They should be in a safe place as well,as they are putting their life on the line for the Canadian farmers.
This is a myth spread by greenhouse owners/operators who want workers who will do extensive labour (12-16 hour days in excessive heat) for minimum wage (or less, if they can get away with it.) Why would they want to hire local workers when they can get temporary foreign workers to come in on work contracts, promising them “free” and “comfortable” living quarters and “fair wages” to boot, just to work them to the bone and pay them peanuts when they get here, then threaten to have them deported any time they try to speak up for themselves, deny them the right to any romantic relationships, etc, all while knowing that they can fire them and they’ll get sent back home, where they can’t as easily sue them for human rights violations. (Especially when most of them have to spend their last peanut paycheque for the flight back home and start from scratch.) Most Canadians WOULD do the work, if the conditions were fair. Being a person of colour from a foreign country doesn’t mean you’re built for workplace abuse.
Migrant workers are exploited by the rich greenhouse owners and by our Government in Canada. They should have the same labour rights as the rest of us and should be making a reasonable wage for all of their hard work. Shame on Canada and shame on greenhouse owners. Change has to come about and sooner than later before more illness occurs.
Migrant workers should have the same rights as any other worker in this country, especialy human rights and should be afforded a safe working enviromet as any other worker. Also a fair wage and benifits, medical, pharmacare and medacare. Equal Right For All.
I support migrant workers’ struggle for better working conditions, health and safety protections and respect for their lives particularly now under the pandemic.
They deserve respect. SHAME ON YOU ONTARIO, CANADA
To the migrant workers:
As a first generation Canadian, I am ashamed to see this happening. I apologize that most of us are only becoming aware now, but we are angry, too.
We will find you the dignity and justice you deserve. Thank you for the large sacrifice you’ve made to travel across the world and help Canadians. We will fight this together. You are heard. You are not alone.
To our government: how has this human indecency continued in 2020?!! I lived abroad as an expat for years and always felt fortunate knowing if any of my rights were abused, the Canadian embassy was a call away. People dream of coming to this land for the opportunities and freedoms we have. This is not what the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms stands for and we demand change immediately. We elected you to protect all lives in Canada. Now it’s time to listen to the voters of your jurisdiction and help make change.
From the Ontario Ministry of Labor to the International Labor Organization, all key stakeholders must be informed of the abuses of human rights that are going on in Leamington. This comes at a time when the cannabis industry, and the global supply chain, is only in its infancy. Violations of human rights can be prevented by setting a new standard in how corporations value and respect all human beings.
These violations of human rights go against the very ethos of the cannabis plant, intended to help heal patients and our planet.
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Seasonal agricultural workers deserve better! Canada, shame on you!
I am the co-editor (with labour scholar Bob Barnetson) of _Farm Workers in Western Canada: Injustices and Activism (U of Alberta Press, 2016), and with my team of scholars, activists, and lawyers, we succeeded in advocating that the Alberta NDP Government to pass Bill 6 which afforded farm workers the same protections (OHS, WCB) as other workers. Jason Kenney has rescinded Bill 6 and now farm workers in Alberta, even children laborers, have no protections. This situation is a travesty.
I support migrant workers’ struggle for better working conditions, health and safety protections and respect for their lives particularly now under the pandemic.
Edgar Godoy
Farmworkers Lives Matter!!!
Canadian government sound definitely be doing a better job projecting these essential workers we needed here!
Maybe some people are afraid of putting their names down, I am not. The living quarters at High Park Tilray, Leamington, Ontario is deplorable . Grown men, some are grand-parents, live in rooms with two bunk beds . They live right outside of the gates of High Park so they can be easily accessible . Slavery is over and the Government of Canada should not and must not be allowed to continue to foster such inhumane treatment of human beings .
I believe the migrant workers come to Canada to do a job that most Canadians dont want to do.
They have a right to have food and proper shelter. They should be in a safe place as well,as they are putting their life on the line for the Canadian farmers.
This is a myth spread by greenhouse owners/operators who want workers who will do extensive labour (12-16 hour days in excessive heat) for minimum wage (or less, if they can get away with it.) Why would they want to hire local workers when they can get temporary foreign workers to come in on work contracts, promising them “free” and “comfortable” living quarters and “fair wages” to boot, just to work them to the bone and pay them peanuts when they get here, then threaten to have them deported any time they try to speak up for themselves, deny them the right to any romantic relationships, etc, all while knowing that they can fire them and they’ll get sent back home, where they can’t as easily sue them for human rights violations. (Especially when most of them have to spend their last peanut paycheque for the flight back home and start from scratch.) Most Canadians WOULD do the work, if the conditions were fair. Being a person of colour from a foreign country doesn’t mean you’re built for workplace abuse.
The migrant workers deserve so much better than what is being provided.
Migrant workers are exploited by the rich greenhouse owners and by our Government in Canada. They should have the same labour rights as the rest of us and should be making a reasonable wage for all of their hard work. Shame on Canada and shame on greenhouse owners. Change has to come about and sooner than later before more illness occurs.
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Migrant workers should have the same rights as any other worker in this country, especialy human rights and should be afforded a safe working enviromet as any other worker. Also a fair wage and benifits, medical, pharmacare and medacare. Equal Right For All.
I support migrant workers’ struggle for better working conditions, health and safety protections and respect for their lives particularly now under the pandemic.
They deserve respect. SHAME ON YOU ONTARIO, CANADA
To the migrant workers:
As a first generation Canadian, I am ashamed to see this happening. I apologize that most of us are only becoming aware now, but we are angry, too.
We will find you the dignity and justice you deserve. Thank you for the large sacrifice you’ve made to travel across the world and help Canadians. We will fight this together. You are heard. You are not alone.
To our government: how has this human indecency continued in 2020?!! I lived abroad as an expat for years and always felt fortunate knowing if any of my rights were abused, the Canadian embassy was a call away. People dream of coming to this land for the opportunities and freedoms we have. This is not what the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms stands for and we demand change immediately. We elected you to protect all lives in Canada. Now it’s time to listen to the voters of your jurisdiction and help make change.
From the Ontario Ministry of Labor to the International Labor Organization, all key stakeholders must be informed of the abuses of human rights that are going on in Leamington. This comes at a time when the cannabis industry, and the global supply chain, is only in its infancy. Violations of human rights can be prevented by setting a new standard in how corporations value and respect all human beings.
These violations of human rights go against the very ethos of the cannabis plant, intended to help heal patients and our planet.
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