Permanent Jobs, Temporary People: Temporary Foreign Workers’ Struggle for Permanent Residency in Prince Edward Island
New Research from the Migrant Workers in the Canadian Maritimes partnership.
Permanent Jobs, Temporary People is the fourth report in a series of research projects led by the Migrant Workers in the Canadian Maritimes partnership. The focus this time was on temporary foreign workers transitioning to permanent residency in Prince Edward Island.
Employers attempting to meet their labour needs. Service providers limited with the support they can provide to temporary residents. Temporary foreign workers struggling to meet permanent residency pathway requirements and being met with bureaucracy, large debt and high stakes along the way.
Download the report here: Permanent Jobs, Temporary People: Temporary Foreign Workers’ Struggle for Permanent Residency in Prince Edward Island
Falling Short: Troubles with the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Nova Scotia
Falling Short is the third report in a series of research projects by the Migrant Workers in the Canadian Maritimes partnership. Using desk research and interviews with migrant workers enrolled in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, researchers explored how COVID-19 affected workers' health and safety.
While the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) is more regulated than other streams of the federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program, researchers found Canada fails to implement regulations or hold employers accountable for providing decent occupational and living conditions for workers.
Download the report here: Falling Short: Troubles with the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Nova Scotia
Unfree Labour: COVID-19 and Migrant Workers in the Seafood Industry in New Brunswick
Research reveals precarious occupational and living conditions for seafood processing migrant workers in New Brunswick.
Unfree Labour: COVID-19 and Migrant Workers in the Seafood Industry in New Brunswick is the second report in a series of research projects by the Migrant Workers in the Canadian Maritimes partnership. Using desk research and 15 interviews with migrant workers to explore how COVID-19 has affected their health and safety, Unfree Labour found temporary foreign workers in New Brunswick to experience:
- • Exploitative and poorly regulated recruitment practices
• Unsuitable, expensive and crowded housing
• Precarious, unpredictable, and dangerous labour conditions
• Limited access to health care
• Xenophobia and unfair treatment at work and in the community
Download the report: Unfree Labour: COVID-19 and Migrant Workers in the Seafood Industry in New Brunswick
Safe at Work, Unsafe at Home: COVID-19 and Temporary Foreign Workers in Prince Edward Island
Safe at Work, Unsafe at Home: COVID-19 and Temporary Foreign Workers in Prince Edward Island is the first report in a series of research projects by the Migrant Workers in the Canadian Maritimes partnership.
Using desk research and 15 interviews with migrant workers to explore how COVID-19 has affected their health and safety, Safe at Work, Unsafe at Home reveals:
- Housing and workplace violations
- Unscrupulous staffing practices
- Overcrowded and inadequate housing conditions
- Lack of health coverage and medical insurance
- Increased surveillance related to COVID-19 and decreased personal freedoms
Download the report (English) here: Safe at Work, Unsafe at Home: COVID-19 and Temporary Foreign Workers in Prince Edward Island
and in Spanish, here: Safe at Work, Unsafe at Home: COVID-19 and Temporary Foreign Workers in Prince Edward Island
Public Forums on Migrant Workers
Living and Thriving (2018)
In April, 2018, seventy people from community and faith organizations and government joined migrant workers for a full day of presentations and discussion aimed at increasing our collective understanding of the challenges faced by migrant workers living in PEI.
SUMMARY
Seventy people from Island community and faith organizations and from government departments joined a group of migrant workers for a full day of presentations and discussion aimed at increasing our collective understanding of the challenges faced by migrant workers living in this province. We heard from migrant workers, experts in federal and provincial policy, and organizations working to promote the rights of migrant workers. The theme was food sovereignty, and the role migrant workers play in our food system. Out of the conversations there emerged many ideas for advocacy and policy and actions to support migrant workers to be treated fairly and recognized for the important roles they play in our economy.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Throughout the day there emerged several recommendations for policy work and actions.
Federal Policy Recommendations
- Expand eligibility for IRCC-funded settlement services to include migrant workers
- End Closed Work Permits – make Work Permits OPEN, not tied to one employer
- Employment Standards coverage for Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) workers
- Access to Permanent Residency for all workers
Provincial Policy Recommendations
- Legislation that: requires registration of employers; licenses recruiters; and bans recruitment feesLabour laws to cover agricultural workers
- Legislation that defines acceptable work and living space
- Proactive enforcement of legislation and anti-reprisals mechanism
- Funding for support services for migrant workers including language training
- Systematic distribution of information on rights, recourses and services
- Encourage permanent residence through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
- Provincial healthcare coverage for all migrant workers on arrival
Recommendations for Immediate Action
These recommendations for immediate action emerged from the discussions:
- Create a report indicating where workers are coming from and where they are working in PEI, highlighting the experiences of some of the workers
- Ask Government to develop a registry to make sure we know where all the workers are in PEI
- Involve PEI migrant workers in national & local advocacy networks
- Challenge the PEI government to establish legislation specific to migrant workers
Read the whole report here: Living & Thriving Migrant Worker forum 2018
Rights, Faith and Policy (2017)
In March, 2017 Cooper Institute and the PEI Action Team for Migrant Workers' Rights organized a one-day forum on rights, faith and policy.
Recommendations
Throughout the day it became clear that there were many issues to be addressed. People said they wanted to get involved. These recommendations emerged from the discussions:
- Organize an annual day of action and awareness, perhaps on May 1st (International Workers' Day)
- Involve more workers in the Migrant Workers Action Team
- Advocate for stronger legislation to regulate recruiters
- Keep track of workers who are applying for LMIAs – help workers find other work
- Call for a review of the Employment Standards Act, and ask for meaningful public consultation
- Share this report with all MLAs
- Meet with the Health Minister, to advocate for complete healthcare coverage for workers
- Establish a Maritimes-wide network on migrant worker rights
- Create opportunities to better understand legislation and policies and advocate for change
Federal Policy Recommendations
- Lower the fee and make the process faster for Labour Market Impact Assessments
- Remove the caps (number of migrant workers each employer is allowed to hire)
- Open Work Permits, not tied to one employer
- Give Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) workers access to Employment Insurance
- Access to permanent residency (through the Provincial Nominee Program)
Provincial Policy Recommendations
- Access to Permanent Residency - through the Provincial Nominee Program
- Labour laws to cover agricultural workers
- Legislation that defines acceptable work and living space
- "Worker Recruitment and Protection Act" to address recruitment/fees
- Healthcare Coverage for all migrant workers as soon as they arrive
- Housing – regulations about how much can be charged, housing conditions and safety
Full report: Rights, Faith and Policy - A public forum on migrant worker issues
Equal in Dignity, Equal in Rights (2016)
In April, 2016, we held a very successful forum on migrant worker rights - Equal in Dignity, Equal in Rights. Read the full report.
Other Projects and Resources Related to Migrant Workers
Lists of Migrant Worker Employers in PEI
These are lists of employers who were granted positions on confirmed labour market opinions for temporary foreign workers for Prince Edward Island. This information was released following a request submitted under the Access to Information Act. Some portions of the documents were not released due to subsection 19(1) of the act as they contain personal information as defined in section 3 of the Privacy Act.