A History of UFCW’s advocacy for agricultural workers
Report on Migrant Agricultural Workers
Our advocacy and representational efforts commenced two decades ago, with the UFCW Canada research initiative known as “The Global Justice Caravan Project,” which in 2001 toured the province to interview workers. This initiative resulted in the Report of Migrant Farm Workers in Canada – 2001.
The Report summarized the poor working conditions of migrant farm workers – including long hours of work, deplorable housing conditions, language barriers, social isolation, low wages, and a lack of legislative protections. Despite these working conditions, migrant workers continue to travel to Canada to earn a living. There is no safe place for these workers to raise their concerns. As the report states: "They believe voicing their concerns over living and/or working conditions to either their employer or Consulate Labour Liaison Officer can result in repatriation or blacklisting from participation in next year's program.”
In December 2002, UFCW Canada, together with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), produced the National Report: Focus of Migrant Farm Workers in Canada (the "National Report") on the status of migrant farm workers, which detailed many of the abuses of migrant workers and problems inherent in the policies and operation of the SAWP.
Subsequent to the National Report, UFCW Canada continued to produce annual reports that monitored the status of farm workers in Canada. The most recent one, The Status of Migrant Agricultural Workers in Canada, 2023, calls for urgent reforms especially in the light of the UN report describing the current system as “systematic slavery.”
Agri-Food Pilot
TheAgri-Food Pilot Program is the direct result of UFCW Canada's political action and legislative efforts. Launched in May 2020, the pilot helps provides opportunities for experienced workers in agricultural and food industries to achieve Permanent Residency (PR) in Canada.
The Agri-Food Pilot includes workers in industries such as meat product manufacturing, greenhouse production, and other food manufacturing and food processing. UFCW Canada is helping our members in these industries who qualify for the pilot achieve permanent residency if they qualify for the pilot via our Migrant Members Support Program.mittee therefore continues to consider that the absence of any express machinery for the promotion of collective bargaining of agricultural workers constitutes an impediment to one of the principal objectives of the guarantee of freedom of association.
