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      • Migrant workers can feel forced to endure mistreatment and poor conditions because farmers can brand them as troublemakers and deport them, which effectively blacklists them from the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.
      • Brett Schuyler, says that while his Simcoe fruit farm couldn’t function without the contributions of migrant workers, the federal program that brings in 6,000 people from Mexico and the Caribbean to work on Norfolk farms every year is in need of reform.
      • Ephron Maurice said migrant workers would welcome better legal protection and a path to citizenship.
      • Simcoe farmer Brett Schuyler said he would support any of his workers who want to live in Canada year-round or get permanent resident status while still spending winters at home in the Caribbean.
      • Migrant worker Ephron Maurice says he and his fellow Trinidadians appreciate farmer Brett Schuyler’s efforts, whether it be pushing their government to allow workers to fly north during the pandemic or improving their lives on the farm through renovations.
      • Migrant workers are hired through closed work permits, tying them to a specific farm for up to eight months.
      • Workers need their employer’s permission to leave a farm of their own accord, making it effectively impossible to change jobs.
      • Ephron Maurice said he’s worked on two good farms in Ontario, but others aren’t so lucky — “I hear some horror stories.”
      • Advocates say in practice, migrant workers who feel pressured to work extra hours will push through illnesses and won’t advocate for their rights because of what Brett Schuyler calls “a fear to speak up.”
      • Having workers eligible for employment insurance should a frost or other weather event limit their hours is an example of what Brett Schuyler considers “low-hanging fruit” to improve the program.

      Large scale reform essential to protecting Canada’s migrant workers

      When Ephron Maurice’s neighbours in Trinidad find out he’s going to Canada to work on a farm, they tend to react one of two ways.

      Younger people, Maurice said, appreciate that he has the chance to make life-changing money working abroad, while others ask “why are you signing up for modern day slavery?”

      “A lot of the older folks in Trinidad don’t find farm work palatable,” he said. “They are thinking it’s a step back to go to a white man country and work in the fields for a white man again.”

      That negative impression isn’t helped by reports of Canadian farmers who treat their migrant workers like pack mules. Maurice said he’s worked on two good farms in Ontario, but others aren’t so lucky.

      Migrant worker Ephron Maurice says he and his fellow Trinidadians appreciate farmer Brett Schuyler's efforts, whether it be pushing their government to allow workers to fly north during the pandemic or improving their lives on the farm through renovations.

      “I hear some horror stories,” he said. “We are viewed as machinery at other farms. (Farmers say) ‘you come here to run, (so) run. When the crop is off, stop running.’”

      Maurice’s current employer, Brett Schuyler, says that while his Simcoe fruit farm couldn’t function without the contributions of migrant workers, the federal program that brings in 6,000 people from Mexico and the Caribbean to work on Norfolk farms every year is in need of reform.

      “Farmers get away with stuff with migrant workers more so than with Canadians,” Schuyler said.

      He explained that migrant workers can feel forced to endure mistreatment and poor conditions because farmers can brand them as troublemakers and deport them, which effectively blacklists them from the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP).

      “You don’t want to get sent home,” Maurice said.

      Ephron Maurice said migrant workers would welcome better legal protection and a path to citizenship.

      Workers are hired through closed work permits, tying them to a specific farm for up to eight months. Though they are sometimes lent from one farm to another, following the harvest schedule, that is arranged by the farmers. Workers need their employer’s permission to leave a farm of their own accord, making it effectively impossible to change jobs.

      “I think that’s an issue that has to be fixed. Because if you’re an asshole boss, that’s a pretty tough situation for (migrant workers),” Schuyler said.

      In the wake of large-scale COVID-19 outbreaks on farms, advocates are demanding that Ottawa grant permanent resident status to offshore workers and have them come to Canada on open work permits so they can access more employment benefits and leave abusive farms.

      Maurice said workers would welcome better legal protection and a path to citizenship.

      “Every day we wish we had a little more leeway,” he said.

      Advocates say in practice, migrant workers who feel pressured to work extra hours will push through illnesses and won't advocate for their rights because of what Brett Schuyler calls "a fear to speak up."

      Finding the sweet spot

      Migrant workers are contractually entitled to one day off per week, but Schuyler said it’s common for farmers to have their employees sign a release form “basically saying ‘if you work seven days, you choose to.’”

      Technically, that leaves the choice to log more hours up to the workers. But advocates say in practice, migrant workers who feel pressured to work extra hours will push through illnesses and won’t advocate for their rights because of what Schuyler calls “a fear to speak up.”

      Brett Schuyler, says that while his Simcoe fruit farm couldn't function without the contributions of migrant workers, the federal program that brings in 6,000 people from Mexico and the Caribbean to work on Norfolk farms every year is in need of reform.

      No worker from Trinidad is a stranger to manual labour, Maurice said, adding that when it comes to working fewer hours or making more money, he would choose the cash.

      “Less hours leave a bad taste in your mouth immediately,” he said. “Few men who come on this program don’t know about hard work.”

      Depending on the job, some workers want 80-hour weeks, while others prefer 40. Schuyler finds that 60 hours is the sweet spot for a happy workforce, while overwork leads to fatigue and complaints. But there are times when workers are asked to stay out longer than expected.

      “If the crop’s rotting, it’s a tough situation. So it’s trying to stop that from happening,” Schuyler said.

      “Especially when it’s a time-sensitive crop,” Maurice added. “But then we’re after the hours too, so most of the time that shouldn’t be a problem. Because we want the work and the farmer wants to get his stuff off the ground.”

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      Migrant workers are hired through closed work permits, tying them to a specific farm for up to eight months.

      Low-hanging fruit

      Prompted by the deaths of three migrant farm workers in Ontario, the federal government pledged money for protective equipment and promised more inspections to ensure bunkhouses are healthy and safe. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said a new national farm housing standard is in the works.

      But Kit Andres of the Migrant Worker Alliance for Change said those steps don’t address the power imbalance within the seasonal worker program.

      “Inspections can only enforce existing laws, but the existing laws are bad. Migrant farm workers are excluded from basic labour laws like minimum wage or time off, universal health care is difficult to access, and there are no real anti-reprisal protections,” Andres said.

      Farm workers in Ontario are paid an hourly wage of $14.18, before deductions.

      Simcoe farmer Brett Schuyler said he would support any of his workers who want to live in Canada year-round or get permanent resident status while still spending winters at home in the Caribbean.

      Schuyler said he would support any of his workers who want to live in Canada year-round or get permanent resident status while still spending winters at home in the Caribbean.

      “I know that they would contribute to this country,” he said, noting that some of his employees have spent decades living much of the year in Canada.

      “That means nothing for them if they want to immigrate. Zero. Which seems wrong to me,” he said. “If somebody’s here for a year or two and they want to immigrate, they should be allowed to.”

      Having workers eligible for employment insurance should a frost or other weather event limit their hours is an example of what Schuyler considers “low-hanging fruit” to improve the program.

      Having workers eligible for employment insurance should a frost or other weather event limit their hours is an example of what Brett Schuyler considers "low-hanging fruit" to improve the program.

      In a recent Toronto Star op-ed, Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (FARMS) president Ken Forth said SAWP has helped farmers “deal with a chronic shortage of domestic labour for more than 50 years” and ensures a steady supply of affordable Canadian produce.

      “Counter to the inaccuracies being spread in some circles, farmers do care about the health and well-being of the people who work for them — international employees and domestic workers alike,” Forth said, noting that migrant workers receive OHIP, WSIB, and “certain Employment Insurance benefits” while in Canada.

      Workers need their employer's permission to leave a farm of their own accord, making it effectively impossible to change jobs.

      “Why would any farmer in their right mind not want to make certain that the people they depend on for a successful growing season are healthy and able to work?”

      The business case for reform

      Ethical arguments aside, Schuyler says taking care of his workers makes good business sense.

      “If we make it so we’re the preferred farm to go to, we’ll get better people,” he said. “If everyone feels treated right and they want to be up here, it will pay us to do it if we get another 10 per cent productivity because everybody is happy.”

      Migrant workers can feel forced to endure mistreatment and poor conditions because farmers can brand them as troublemakers and deport them, which effectively blacklists them from the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.

      Maurice says he and his fellow Trinidadians appreciate Schuyler’s efforts on their behalf, whether it be pushing their government to allow workers to fly north during the pandemic or improving their lives on the farm by renovating bunkhouses and adding recreational facilities like a basketball court.

      “Those little things go a long way. I can come off the field and shoot some hoops,” Maurice said. “It’s good to feel wanted and appreciated.”

      Schuyler said the appreciation is mutual.

      “When I see how hard everybody else is working to make the farm successful, it makes me get my ass up and go,” he said.

      Ephron Maurice said he's worked on two good farms in Ontario, but others aren't so lucky ? "I hear some horror stories."

      “We have to work toward getting rid of the issues with the program, because at the end of the day it’s a really good thing for Canada and for Trinidad. It should be a proud thing to come up and work on the farm.”

      J.P. Antonacci
      J.P. Antonacci’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk.

      This is Part 3 in a series about the experiences of migrant farm workers in Norfolk County. Part 1 introduced workers from Trinidad who lobbied their government to work in Canada during COVID-19, while Part 2 looked at the workers’ importance to the local economy.

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