Public relations specialist Stephen Murdoch issued a
spirited defence of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Programs (SAWP) today,
calling it “a model to governments and agricultural organizations around the
world, providing Ontario fruit and vegetable growers a vital source of
supplementary labour.”
“Not only does the 48-year-old program benefit farmers and
Canada’s economy as a whole, but also it gives the seasonal workers well-paying
employment, benefits and educational opportunities not available to them at
home,” Murdoch says.
Then he set about countering “recent media coverage” that he
said “has highlighted numerous misperceptions and inaccurate generalizations
about SAWP and Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program.”
Among them:
Myth: Unemployed Canadians who want to work on
fruit and vegetable farms are being denied jobs because growers are hiring
temporary seasonal workers through SAWP.
Reality: SAWP
was created in 1966 to help farmers respond to a shortage of agricultural
labour and the program continues to serve the same role today. SAWP is a
Canadians-first program, which means that seasonal labour is hired from
participating countries only if agricultural operators cannot find domestic
workers to fill vacancies.
Myth: Seasonal labour hired through SAWP are paid
less than Canadian workers.
Reality:
Seasonal workers hired through SAWP receive an hourly wage set by Employment
and Social Development Canada. The hourly rate is not less than the
provincial minimum wage rate or the local prevailing rate paid to Canadians
doing the same job, whichever is greatest.
Myth: Seasonal workers hired through SAWP aren’t
covered by the same employment rights as Canadian agricultural workers.
Reality:
Workers hired through SAWP fall under the same employment rights as Canadians
receive, such as WSIB, certain Employment Insurance benefits, occupational
health and safety and provincial health care during their term of employment.
Myth: Housing
for seasonal workers on agricultural operations is not subject to any
guidelines.
Reality:
Seasonal housing — provided at the expense of the employer — must be
inspected annually by local Ministry of Health officials. Water is tested to
ensure it meets safety standards and the housing unit is inspected to ensure it
meets provincial guidelines. Employers are required to maintain seasonal
housing units in good repair.
Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) is
administered in Ontario by Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services
(F.A.R.M.S.).
More information about the program can be found at www.farmsontario.ca .
I remain critical of the program for two main reasons. There are refugee farmers living in Ontario who can't land jobs with farmers and this program makes foreign workers captives little different from slaves because they can't leave other than being sent back home.
