Montreal, Canada – Canada has not been able to take significant measures to address systemic abuses in a program of foreign workers of decades, subjecting thousands of workers to an “inherently exploiting” system, says Amnesty International.
In a 71 -page report published on Thursday, the Rights Group described a wide range of abuses linked to the Temporary Program of Foreign Workers (TFWP), from salary theft to excessive working hours, racist abuse and violence.
Many of the violations are related to the “closed” work permits of the workers, which unite them to their employers and leave them open to exploitation, said Amnesty. Workers generally do not speak due to the fear of reprisals.
“The exploitation, discrimination and abuse are integral characteristics, not errors, of the Temporary Program of Foreign Workers,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, General Secretary of Amnesty of the International English speaking section of Canada, in a statement.
“Cosmetic changes are not enough. Our leaders must implement the reforms required to align the program with the human rights obligations of Canada and, ultimately, respect workers’ rights. “
Run in the 1970s, Canada’s foreign workers have been the subject of greater scrutiny in recent years, since previous and current workers denounced their treatment.
In 2022, a group of Jamaica workers wrote a letter that compared the conditions on the farms in Ontario, the most populous province of Canada, to “systematic slavery.”
A year later, a United Nations special rapporteur said that TFWP schemes “make migrant workers vulnerable to contemporary forms of slavery, since they cannot inform abuses without fear of deportation.”
‘How to throw garbage’
Tens of thousands of foreign workers arrive in Canada every year through the TFWP, which according to the Government aims to fill the gaps in the labor market.
They work in low -salaries industries, such as agriculture, even in farms or in food processing plants, and as home caregivers, among other works.
In 2021, temporary foreign workers represented 18 percent of the workforce in the agricultural sector of Canada and 10 percent in the food accommodation and services sector, A study Launched at the end of last year found.
Migrant workers, many of whom have come to Canada for years or even decades, also have limited routes for permanent residence in the country.
“In its current design, the TFWP is inherently exploitative,” said Amnesty International in Thursday’s report.
The group also said that the scheme is “inherently discriminatory, since it strengthens cases of discrimination and disproportionate impacts of human rights violations in racialized workers of the ‘low ones’ based on their race, gender, class and national origin” .
Francisco, a Mexican worker who spoke with Amnesty International using the pseudonym, said: “The employer obtains what he wants, but when (the worker) is no longer useful for him … he simply sends (to the worker) back.
“And I feel like throwing garbage and say that it is no longer useful.”
Inspections and fines
The Canadian government has previously defended the “closed” work permits as a necessary measure to ensure that you know what employers use foreign workers and where they are working.
Last year, in the midst of an increasing reaction on immigration and a housing crisis, the government also announced plans to reduce the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada, including those of TFWP Transmissions.
Meanwhile, the employment and social development of Canada, the country’s ministry of labor, said in mid -January that sanctions had increased for employers who do not comply with the rules.
The Ministry said it carried out 649 inspections between April and the end of September last year, 11 percent of which employers did not comply.
He also issued $ 1.46 million (2.1 million Canadian dollars) in fines and prohibited 20 TFWP employers.
“Workers in Canada deserve and expect to feel safe and protected in the workplace. That is why we are taking measures to protect temporary foreign workers and hold the bad actors, ” Steven Mackinnon saidCanadian Employment Minister, Development of the Work Force and Laboration.
“Employers must follow the rules, and we will continue to take decisive measures to protect the rights and well -being of workers while increasing our economy.”
But Amnesty International emphasized its report that TFWP abuses “cannot be attributed to some unscrupulous employers, nor can they be understood as isolated incidents.”
On the other hand, the group said that Canada has the responsibility of the immigration policies and laws that have left vulnerable workers.
He urged Canada to go beyond the “narrow and fragmentary measures” to make “systemic policy changes”, including the abolition of “closed” work permits.
“This system must be urgently replaced with an open visa system that can completely protect racialized workers from exploitation and labor discrimination,” said Amnesty.
