Ontario's Exploited Migrant Farm Workers

by Stan RaperDoug Brown

Unusual Sources interviews Stan Raper from the Union of Food and Commercial Workers. Stan describes the conditions faced by migrant agricultural workers in Ontario. Each year, Ontario's fruit and vegetable farms use thousands of migrant workers from Mexico and the Caribbean. They work long hours, six days a week, and are far away from their families for the 8-10 month duration of their contract. These workers are not protected by labour laws. In fact under Ontario law, they cannot organize and form a union. Although they contribute to Employment Insurance, they cannot receive any benefits.

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