A decade later, P.E.I. moves to oversee migrant worker recruiters

May 30, 2022

0 3 5 minutes read

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Eleven years on, Josie Baker recollects her frustration on the complacent response from politicians and senior civil servants in regards to the labour circumstances confronted by non permanent international staff engaged on P.E.I.’s farms, fish vegetation and fast-food eating places.

To fight the data vacuum, Baker researched and wrote a report, Changing Hands: Temporary Foreign Workers in Prince Edward Island. The report, launched in 2011, highlighted the vulnerability of non permanent international staff who had been recruited to work in P.E.I.

“I used to be actually going off rumour as to the place staff have been. And nobody within the authorities essentially knew anymore,” Baker advised SaltWire Community.

The report was launched months after the province’s Employment Requirements department had ordered the proprietor of Mariner Seafoods, a Montague-based seafood processing plant, to pay $150,000 to 45 non permanent international staff from Thailand. Employment Requirements dominated the proprietor of the plant had stolen 1000’s of {dollars} from the pay of the employees.

The ruling was described by the CBC as the primary case of its form involving non permanent international staff in P.E.I.

Even after the 2011 ruling, Baker stated provincial officers knew little in regards to the a whole lot of staff arriving from international locations like Russia, Jamaica or Mexico and even much less in regards to the working circumstances they confronted.

“There was no provincial oversight. There was not even provincial reporting. There wasn’t something like that.”

Years later, key suggestions from Baker’s report are on the verge of being carried out.

The P.E.I. legislature sits at the Coles Building in Charlottetown. - SaltWire Network File Photo — The P.E.I. legislature sits on the Coles Constructing in Charlottetown. – SaltWire Community File Photograph

In Might, the P.E.I. legislature unanimously handed a invoice that may require corporations that rent non permanent international staff to formally register with the province. The Momentary Overseas Employee Safety Act may also require abroad recruiters to register with the province and prohibits them from charging charges to staff to attach them with jobs in P.E.I.

Baker had really helpful simply such an act within the Altering Palms report.

P.E.I. is likely one of the final provinces in Canada to place in place laws defending the rights of non permanent international staff.

Baker, like different advocates who’ve been working with P.E.I.’s typically invisible sector of non permanent international staff for years, stated she’s comfortable to see that the province has put in place the laws. However she additionally has questions for P.E.I.’s policymakers.

“Why did not it occur 10 years in the past?”

“Why have been we not within the wellbeing of individuals and never simply the entry of business to staff?”

Eleven years after Josie Baker wrote a report recommending the Province regulate recruiting agencies that bring hundreds of temporary foreign workers to P.E.I., legislation has been passed to do just that. - Stu Neatby — Eleven years after Josie Baker wrote a report recommending the Province regulate recruiting businesses that convey a whole lot of non permanent international staff to P.E.I., laws has been handed to just do that. – Stu Neatby

Vulnerabilities uncovered by COVID-19

Throughout Canada, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the diploma to which Canada’s meals manufacturing economic system depends on non permanent international staff. The pandemic additionally highlighted the diploma of vulnerability of those migrant staff.

Crowded working and dwelling circumstances for migrant staff resulted in COVID-19 outbreaks in Ontario, B.C. and different provinces. Advocates stated the restrictions of the federally-managed program have saved staff kind talking out.

On paper, non permanent international staff have the identical rights on the job as any Canadian citizen. In apply, consultants have discovered non permanent international staff are extremely weak on account of the truth that their work permits, which permit them to stay in Canada, are tied to a single employer.

By the numbers

Momentary Overseas Staff authorised to journey to P.E.I. (Labour Market Influence Assessments)

2013 – 875
2014 – 980
2015 – 730
2016 – 946
2017 – 1056
2018 – 1012
2019 – 1178
2020 – 1725

Supply: Protected at Work, Unsafe at House, Cooper Institute

A 2021 report launched by each P.E.I.’s Cooper Institute and by researchers with Dalhousie College in Halifax really helpful the federal authorities finish the apply of tying work permits to particular employers.

The report, Protected at Work, Unsafe at House, famous some non permanent international staff in P.E.I. had been compelled to cowl prices of their flights to P.E.I. Others ended up protecting prices for work permits, and visa and passport prices. Staff who spoke to the authors stated they have been depending on recruiting businesses, who managed their potential to return to a job in future years.

The findings echoed Baker’s report from 2011.

“Most staff have paid wherever between one and 10 thousand {dollars} to recruitment businesses, and incur different bills associated to medical exams and journey earlier than they go away residence,” Baker wrote within the Altering Palms report.

“Momentary international staff in debt to recruiters have been aptly recognized as indentured labourers.”

The Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act, introduced by current Economic Growth Minister Matthew MacKay in March 2021. - Stu Neatby/SaltWire Network File Photo — The Momentary Overseas Employee Safety Act, launched by present Financial Progress Minister Matthew MacKay in March 2021. – Stu Neatby/SaltWire Community File Photograph

Band-aids on a ‘flawed program’

The Momentary Overseas Employee Safety Act, launched by present Financial Progress Minister Matthew MacKay in March 2021, would require recruiters of non permanent international staff to be licensed by the province. It additionally clearly prohibits recruiters from charging staff charges and imposes fines of as much as $25,000 for violations of the Act. The Act additionally particularly prohibits employers from intimidating staff who make complaints associated to labour circumstances and permits a interval of as much as two years for staff to file complaints.

The province plans to rent extra employees, who can have the flexibility to conduct randomized inspections of workplaces.

Whereas the invoice has handed unanimously, the province might want to put in place laws earlier than it’s enacted, which provincial employees say might take six months.

Eliza MacLauchlan, who at the moment works with the Cooper Institute’s Migrant Staff Venture, stated she was comfortable the laws handed. However after 10 years of advocacy, she added she want to see the province implement it “sooner moderately than later.”

“Six months could be nice. I’d hope for that,” MacLauchlan stated.

Eliza MacLauchlan of the Cooper Institute said she was happy the province has passed legislation regulating recruiters of migrant workers. But she said fundamental problems still exist of the temporary foreign worker program. - Stu Neatby — Eliza MacLauchlan of the Cooper Institute stated she was comfortable the province has handed laws regulating recruiters of migrant staff. However she stated basic issues nonetheless exist of the non permanent international employee program. – Stu Neatby

On the identical time, MacLauchlan stated she want to see the federal authorities grant staff everlasting residency standing upon arrival. She additionally stated the apply of tying work permits to particular employers ought to finish.

“They hold placing band-aids throughout for a program that’s flawed to start with,” MacLauchlan stated.

Jerry Gavin, government director of the P.E.I. Seafood Processors Affiliation, stated he was comfortable to see the Act handed. He stated seafood processing vegetation are dealing with an rising demand for non permanent international staff as a result of native staff are more and more retiring.

He additionally stated many native seafood processors are inclined to do their very own recruiting and don’t depend on third-party companies.

Gavin additionally stated the business want to see extra pathways provided to non permanent international staff to turn out to be everlasting residents and put down roots in rural communities like O’Leary or Tignish.

“It is actually constructive to see these non permanent international staff turn out to be everlasting residents. And so they’re the brand new locals, so to talk,” Gavin stated.

Stu Neatby is a political reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. @stu_neatby

Source link