New report shows migrant workers in Canada facing ‘shocking abuse and discrimination’
According to a recent report by Amnesty International, migrant workers in Canada have experienced “shocking abuse and discrimination” while employed through the nation’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
The structure of Canada’s TFWP, which permits employers to recruit foreign workers for mostly low-paid occupations in industries like construction, hospitality, food processing, and agriculture, was criticised by Amnesty International in a study released Thursday.
The human rights group claimed that the program’s “harmful provisions,” such as restricted work permits that bind employees to a single employer who controls both their labour conditions and immigration status, made them susceptible to exploitation.
For the research, Amnesty interviewed 44 migrant workers from 14 countries, most of whom were from what it called the Global South.
The majority of the workers reported working excessive hours and not getting paid. According to other employees, their contracts called for no days off.
Many workers stated they encountered discrimination at work, including being charged with the hardest physical responsibilities.
Some workers said they had severe injuries or developed medical disorders owing to dangerous working conditions.
One worker told Amnesty that he was subjected to “severe forms of control” by his employer.
Miguel, a migrant worker from Guatemala with a two-year visa under the TFWP, told Amnesty that he was threatened and monitored by his boss, who confiscated his passport and installed cameras in the garage where he worked and the container where he lived.
“The abuse experienced by migrant workers in Canada is deeply troubling, especially for a country that claims to be a leader when it comes to protecting human rights,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, the senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns at Amnesty International.
According to Amnesty International, a large number of workers reported living in subpar housing, with some even claiming their accommodations lacked drinking water.
“The government of Canada takes the safety and dignity of temporary foreign workers very seriously and has been taking strong action to protect workers. While in Canada, temporary foreign workers have the same employment standards, rights, and protections under federal, provincial, and territorial law as do Canadian citizens and permanent residents,” Nancy Caron, the spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said.
The government, she noted, was “continuously taking steps to strengthen its temporary foreign worker programs,” which included “open work permits” that let temporary foreign workers switch employers, a tip line for reporting misconduct, and programs to assist workers in obtaining private health insurance.
