Harvesting Freedom’ is a year-long campaign, organized by Justice for Migrant Workers, that will feature a Pilgrimage to Ottawa set to arrive on October 2nd, 2016. Click here to support the campaign.
Following a a press conference on Parliament Hill, migrant workers visited the office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging him to support the call to action by Justicia for Migrant Workers.
“Status for migrant workers is the only solution to the injustices that we face daily in the fields,” said Ricky Joseph, a Caribbean migrant farm worker. “We are fearful of being deported from Canada for standing up for our rights. All we are asking for is for fairness for all workers across the board.”
The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) is a labour-migration program that brings approximately 30,000 migrant workers from the Caribbean and Mexico annually to work in fields across Canada. Migrant workers who arrive under this program face many challenges working in Canada, including: having work permits tied to a single employer; being under constant threat of deportation by employers, and never being eligible for permanent residency regardless of how many years they have worked in Canada.
They are collecting signatures from allies across Canada to support their demand for immediate permanent residency upon arrival. Click here to sign and share the petition.