IMPACTS OF PANDEMIC ON CANADIAN AGRICULTRE

INDUSTRY

Aditya Singh

Some Insights From The Film

The film shows how huge the Canadian agricultural sector is and the number of people it
relies on. The agriculture industry here in Canada sustains with help of temporary migrant
workers. The majority of these workers come from Mexico, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and
Tobago and some other Caribbean countries working on some farms that are even older than
Canada itself. The majority of production produced is only possible because of the migrant
workers and without them the Canadian agriculture would struggle to survive. The main
reason behind such dependency of the agricultural sector on temporary migrant workers is
because Canadians are not ready to do labour intensive work on the fields. The Canadian
workforce dried up decades ago as people moved to cities for better pay and way of living.
Migrant workers have been the helping hands for the Canadian agriculture industry, since
1967. Unfortunately, the pandemic has been a bit too harsh on the workers. According to the
health advisories, the workers were now needed a compulsory quarantine of 14 days upon
arrival in Canada. Due to labour shortage faced by farm owners and operators, the day for
harvesting were postponed, which in result pushed back the production dates causing causing
lack or delay in food supplies to the Canadian markets. Ultimately, affecting the whole food
supply chain in Canada. After all this, the farmers are still treating their workers poorly while
they are trying their best to put food on the tables of Canadians families. The workers are
forced to spent their quarantine under poor conditions but cannot raise their voice against it
because of the fear they might loose their job and would not be able to come for the next
season. The pandemic revealed and exacerbated underlying inequities in society.

Issues With Canada’s Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program

Some of the issues with the seasonal agriculture worker program are listed below:

Working Conditions:

Migrant workers face poor working conditions, including a lack of basic

training; a majority of migrant workers are working in unhealthy environment and are at a
continuous risk of being exposed to COVID-19 virus. These poor working conditions are
clearly a problem, which workers should not have to face. Despite the claim, evidence
suggests that there is a lack of a quality working condition and implementation. Because of
the labour shortage at the beginning of the season, the workers were now obliged to work
harder to meet the needs of food demand in the market. Dealing with the question of fear is
similar to the problems mentioned with regard to living conditions that is migrant workers
fear losing their jobs if they do not complete their assigned task, even when the work is
unsafe. The workers were to do the tasks that their employers asked them to do as it was
important not to upset the relationship with them so that they could come back again next
season.

Living Conditions:

In accordance to COVID-19 advisory, every worker needs to be quarantined. Now,

it is a responsibility of farm owners and operators to manage suitable arrangements needed
for a safe and secure quarantine plan for their workers. But a majority of them had live and
spend their quarantine in small bunk houses or garages with a multiple numbers of workers
crowded into confined space. Making the migrant workers more likely to get COVID-19,
than actual Canadians. The workers are forced to live in harsh conditions. These issues
ranged from instances of multiple individuals sharing a single bathroom, to housing that lacks
heating during the winter or air conditioning during the summer. The key problem with living
is that there is little to no consequences for providing substandard accommodations. The
workers felt as if they are criminals and are living in prison. Having already established that
migrant workers often have a fear of reporting issues, and if they do report a problem, it often
goes unresolved or the worker is punished. Though this form of discouragement is not always
being pursued by employers but the system allows for it to frequently and easily occur. When
dealing with these workers, it is important to remember that they are vulnerable, relying on
someone else for shelter and work.

Health Issues:

In addition to the risk of getting infected by COVID-19, the poor living and
working conditions lead to other health risks for migrant workers. Because of their close
proximity to each other, chances of them getting infected by the virus is very high and spread
of virus through migrant worker groups is very easy. Lack of resources and knowledge makes
it difficult for a worker to access appropriate health care services. Since the workers do not
have the same access to the health care, they are more vulnerable to COVID-19 and other
diseases than any other Canadian.

Mental Health:

With issues impacting the physical health of the migrant worker, there are issues
of mental health too. The lack of equal rights, access to information, and isolation can all be
seen as sources of stress, added to the fear of risking their life during this pandemic to feed
Canadians, and support their own families back in their home country. Living in such a poor
condition and working overtime, makes them mentally exhausted and frustrated. After a long
day of manual labour, they are still payed the minimum wage without any bonuses unlike the
other essential workers in the country. The nature of the current program allows for the
temporary migrant workers to be abused, exploited and isolated from Canadian society, while
they perform an essential task for Canadian society and its economy. Current policies and its
implementation is not adequate and needs amending, and more revision.