[BCFSN] New BC report: Citizenship and Precarious Labour in Canadian Agriculture

[Anelyse Weiler]

Dear all,

A new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (BC Office)
has been published this week. *Citizenship and Precarious Labour in
Canadian Agriculture* is authored by Professors Gerardo Otero and Kerry
Preibisch. It focuses on structural and systemic health, safety and equity
issues affecting both migrant and immigrant farmworkers in British
Columbia.

The full report is available here:
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/citizenship-and-precarious-labour-canadian-agriculture

The Tyee has published a related article, which includes an interview with
Dr. Otero:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2015/11/18/Farmworker-Health-Care-Report/

The authors' four major policy recommendations are as follows:


   1. The federal government should grant immigrant status to farmworkers
   on arrival; these workers would then have a path to citizenship after three
   years if they choose to apply.
   2. The BC government should establish an employment compliance team,
   whose mandate would include random spot-checks at worksites to enforce
   employment standards. Priorities would include safe transportation and
   housing.
   3. BC should reform MSP so that agricultural workers receive health
   coverage immediately upon arrival in Canada—this is already done in Ontario.
   4. BC should register migrant employers and recruiters, so that they can
   be held accountable if they violate workers’ rights, as has been done in
   Manitoba.


Anelyse
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