Most Farm Workers in Canada Satisfied with Conditions

The local independent fact-finding team, appointed to assess the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Programme (SAWP) in Canada, has found that most of the Jamaican employees are satisfied with their working and living conditions.

Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, reported on the findings of the team, which travelled to Canada last year, in his Sectoral debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (April 26).

Cabinet had approved the appointment of the team to look into the status of the Jamaicans following reports of substandard conditions on farms where they are engaged.

Minister Samuda noted that over 70 per cent of respondents believe that the treatment from their employer was either “good” or “very good”.

He said the overall assessment of the conditions of the workers was described as good, but noted that there were pockets of poor labour and industrial relations conditions, particularly outside of Ontario.

The majority of Jamaican farm workers are in the province of Ontario.

“I am not saying that the place is perfect by [any] means, I am not saying it’s a perfect situation. But the fact of the matter is, when asked specifically if the farm owners treated them with respect, 87.1 per cent said yes,” Mr. Samuda said.

He told the House that a deep sense of pride and fulfilment was observed among the vast majority of farm workers.

He informed that 73.7 per cent said they willingly worked on their days off in order to earn more money and not by force, noting that 2.5 per cent felt as if they were being forced.

Approximately 93.6 per cent of workers said that they do not work when ill, and among those who work during illness, 21 per cent said they did so because they feared losing their jobs.

Also, 35 per cent of respondents sought health care and of that number, 10.4 per cent said they did not receive access to healthcare.

Some of the reasons cited for lack of access include non-acceptance of health cards by doctors and the exclusion of certain health services from coverage like tooth extraction.

As it relates to transferring workers between farms, Minister Samuda said that 85 per cent said they were never relocated during the period of their contract, and those who were transferred, said that this was due to the completion of work on their previous farms.

Sixty per cent said they worked exclusively in the fields, 8.8 per cent worked in greenhouses, and 7.6 per cent worked in packing houses.

The Minister noted that 70 per cent of the contracts ranged between five and eight months, but just under 30 per cent were on eight-month contracts. “We want to extend more on eight-month contracts, but that depends on the type of crops,” he said.

In terms of living conditions, Mr. Samuda said this varied across Canada, noting that most of the workers rated their situation as “good” and “very good”.

“Seventy per cent of respondents gave positive reviews of their housing and living conditions, with 30 per cent saying they were excellent and 40 per cent saying they were very good. In terms of cooking facilities, 30 per cent said excellent and 48 per cent said

very good. In terms of bathroom facilities, 24 per cent said excellent and 44.8 per cent said good. When asked if the housing facilities were clean upon their arrival, 95 per cent of them said yes,” the Minister reported.

Meanwhile, Mr. Samuda pointed out there were challenges regarding liaison services. “Fifty-two per cent of the women were dissatisfied and 45 per cent of the men, but overall, 55 per cent were satisfied,” he noted.

In addition, he said that 74.4 per cent were satisfied with the liaison services in Ontario, which had a negative rating of 6.6 per cent.

However, 11.3 per cent were satisfied in British Columbia, which had a 38.7 per cent negative rating. “That has to be addressed and we have already taken steps to deal with that,” the Minister said.