‘I did not expect to be a slave’: Amnesty International report exposes abuse of migrant workers

Migrant Worker Exploitation in Canada: A Call for Action

The story of Bénédicte Carole Zé highlights the harsh reality faced by many migrant workers in Canada. Coming to the country in 2016 to work on a poultry farm, she was subjected to long hours, financial control, and even sexual abuse by her employer. Zé’s experience is just one of many documented in a new report by Amnesty International, which sheds light on the exploitation and abuse faced by migrant workers in the temporary foreign worker program (TFWP).

The report, based on interviews with 44 migrant workers from 14 countries, reveals a pattern of labor exploitation that ranges from wage theft and unsafe working conditions to abuse and race- and gender-based violence. Workers like Gabrielle, a Jamaican worker who suffered a severe injury on a farm in British Columbia, have spoken out about the racism and threats they faced from supervisors.

Julia Sande, a human rights law and policy campaigner at Amnesty International Canada, describes the stories shared by migrant workers as “harrowing.” She emphasizes that nearly every worker interviewed reported multiple human rights abuses, ranging from denial of basic needs to threats of deportation.

Amnesty International argues that the TFWP is “inherently exploitative” and discriminatory, giving employers excessive power over foreign workers, who are predominantly racialized individuals from the Global South. The organization calls for a complete overhaul of the program to address systemic discrimination and grant migrants permits to work for any employer, rather than being tied to a specific employer in a single sector.

The report is the latest in a series of inquiries critical of the TFWP, with previous reports labeling the program as a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.” Calls to end closed work permits and increase protections for foreign workers have been echoed by UN special rapporteurs, parliamentary committees, and migrant rights advocates.

While Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has taken steps to strengthen penalties for non-compliant employers, Amnesty International and other advocates argue that more action is needed to protect migrant workers from exploitation. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has made some changes to the TFWP, such as requiring private health insurance for workers and prohibiting recruitment fees, but concerns remain about the use of closed work permits.

As the Canadian government faces mounting pressure to address the systemic issues within the TFWP, migrant workers continue to face exploitation and abuse. It is essential for policymakers to heed the calls for reform and take concrete steps to ensure the safety and well-being of all foreign workers in Canada.