A migrant farm workers' organization is speaking out against what it calls exploitative working conditions on some Ontario farms after the death of a Jamaican worker this month.
, migrant farm workers detailed living in unsanitary conditions and facing verbal and physical abuse from employers at two Ontario farms.
“They say they're being treated like mules, they're living with pesticides, rats are eating their food,†Syed Hussan, executive director of the , told CTV’s Your Morning on Thursday.
“They talk about how they feel like they are in prison and having talked to other co-workers of their organization and across the country, they say the seasonal agriculture workers program is systematic slavery and exploitation at a seismic level.â€
Hussan called on the Canadian federal government to make changes that would allow temporary foreign workers to get permanent resident status, which he said would make them feel safer.
Garvin Yapp, a 57-year-old worker from Jamaica, died in a work-related accident, according to the Jamaican Ministry of Labour. Yapp worked on Berlo's Best Farm in Southern Ontario and his death is currently being investigated by both the Ontario and Jamaican ministries of labour. The employer, the VanBerlo family, said they are devastated over Yapp's death.
“Their relationship with Garvin was forged over 34 years of employment at their family farm. Accordingly, they are devastated by his death,†the family's lawyer said in a statement to Â鶹´«Ã½ Kitchener.
Hussan said MWAC, the member-led organization, reported an additional three worker deaths in Ontario this week. CTVNews.ca has reached out to both the Ontario and Jamaican ministries of labour, but did not receive confirmation of those additional deaths by the time of publication.
Federal Minister of Employment Carla Qualtrough sent a statement to CTV’s Your Morning calling the mistreatment of migrant workers “unacceptable.â€
“The experiences detailed in this letter are disturbing, inhumane and in violation of the regulations of this program,†the statement said.
“ESDC officials are in communication with the provincial government who oversees investigations into workplace complaints, on this matter.â€
Hussan said this is a larger issue for the federal government to address the immigration statuses of temporary foreign workers.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2021 alone, were issued, double the permits issued between 2000 and 2004 when 357,000 permits were issued. Hussan said granting permanent resident status to temporary workers would allow them to speak out against employers without fear of deportation or losing their jobs.
“We have turned into a system of temporary work and temporary immigration status and when you have temporary immigration status, you can't protect yourself,†he said.
“We're calling on the federal government to give permanent resident status to every migrant in the country. A fairer society is one with equal rights and equal rights are only possible if everyone has the same permanent resident status.â€
MPs in the House of Commons are debating the Conservatives’ non-confidence motion today, with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre calling for 'a carbon tax election,' and a return to what he called 'the Canadian promise' in a 20-minute speech.
An image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023 has been obtained by CTVNews.ca.
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Health Canada has approved Pfizer-BioNTech's updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against one of the most recently circulating variants of the virus.
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Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre revealed Tuesday at a hearing on federal welfare reform that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
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An image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023 has been obtained by CTVNews.ca.
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A Calgary man is facing child pornography charges after an investigation uncovered years of messages exchanged with an alleged felon.
An image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023 has been obtained by CTVNews.ca.
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One person was hospitalized after a crash involving a Valley Line Southeast LRT train and a semi Tuesday morning.
A transgender Albertan says it would be a slap in the face if Premier Danielle Smith allows back into the government caucus a member who once compared transgender children to feces.
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Environment Canada says southwestern Ontario could get up to 55 mm of rain by Wednesday morning.
An image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023 has been obtained by CTVNews.ca.
A man and woman in Saskatoon who had two kilograms of methamphetamine seized from a home are going back to trial after having their acquittals overturned.
The Saskatchewan Government is in the province's highest court fighting to prevent a Court of King’s Bench judge from determining if its Parents' Bill of Rights actually violates the Charter.
Fire crews are battling a blaze at the Candle Lake Golf Course clubhouse on Monday morning.
An image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023 has been obtained by CTVNews.ca.
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Steven Guilbeault accused Pierre Poilievre of catering to his 'rich friends' in the oil and gas sector by pushing a policy to scrap carbon pricing.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said many Canadians are taking their cost-of-living frustrations 'out on me for understandable reasons,' during his U.S. late-night television debut on 'The Late Show' with Stephen Colbert Monday night.
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Beverly Glenn-Copeland says he's been diagnosed with dementia and will play his final concert tour dates over the next two weeks.
Police in Spain have arrested five people accused of scamming two women out of 325,000 euros (US$362,000) by pretending to be Hollywood star Brad Pitt online.
Genealogy and family tree tracking site Ancestry announced on Monday that by using “billions of historical records and public family trees,†they’ve discovered that the two music powerhouses are actually seventh cousins, once removed.
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The Newcomers Football Club, an impromptu team made up of asylum-seekers, has helped provide Boubacar Lukaku and others with a joy that erases their stress. And it's helped connect them with a supportive community as they navigate the challenges of a new country.
Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre revealed Tuesday at a hearing on federal welfare reform that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Reid Carruthers seeks a three-peat in curling's quirky PointsBet Invitational that's become an unofficial season kickoff because of money, field and visibility.
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The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported this week that officers in the agency's Montreal Marine and Rail Services seized 78 vehicles and transferred them to police. Numbers of stolen vehicles in Quebec continue to skyrocket.
Struggling Jeep and Ram maker Stellantis is looking for a CEO to succeed Carlos Tavares, but the company says it's just part of a normal leadership succession plan.
The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday will propose a ban on the sale or import of smart vehicles that use specific Chinese or Russian technology because of national security concerns, according to U.S. officials.
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