If You Ate Today, Thank a Migrant Worker. The Role and Conditions Facing Migrant Agricultural Workers in Canada

For over 55 years, migrant workers have played a central role in Canadian agriculture. Migrating primarily from Mexico and the Caribbean for contracts of up to eight months a year, and tied to a particular employer, many of these workers spend the majority of their adult lives in Canada, yet most are never permitted the opportunity to immigrate, nor are they even integrated into local communities. In this talk, associate professor Janet McLaughlin and former migrant worker and author Gabriel Allahdua will describe the historical and contemporary context facing migrant workers who come to Canada to work as agricultural labourers. Sharing highlights from nearly 20 years of academic research (McLaughlin) as well as lived insights as a migrant worker and activist (Allahdua), the presentation will reveal the hidden realities of migrant workers. Topics include migrants’ central, yet normally overlooked, role in Canadian agriculture; family impacts of migration; living and working conditions; health and safety risks and issues (including the horrific toll of COVID-19); and barriers to accessing rights and benefits, including health care. In so doing, the presenters will underscore the human rights and health consequences of a system in which workers are welcomed in Canada as labourers, but not as citizens. Highlighting recent movements towards activism and reform, the lecture will also invite all in attendance to reflect on their role in making the ‘local’ food system more just, sustainable, and humane.