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Permanently Temporary? Agricultural Migrant Workers and Their Integration in Canada

Resource type
Author/contributor
Title
Permanently Temporary? Agricultural Migrant Workers and Their Integration in Canada
Abstract
Every year, 30,000 agricultural migrant workers arrive in Canada as part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Low Skill Pilot Project. Although the TFWP is intended to address short-term labour demands, most of these workers return to the same communities year after year, sometimes for more than 25 years. As a result, growing numbers of migrant farm workers are permanently temporary. The increased presence of temporary workers will most certainly have an impact on Canadian communities and workplaces for years to come. Is there a way to conceptualize integration in the context of these migration patterns? How does the TFWP fit into Canada’s multicultural landscape and its goals of integration and social cohesion? In this study, Jenna Hennebry draws on experience with agricultural workers to address some of these questions. The author uses empirical data, interviews and research on the situation in Ontario, the province with the largest number of agricultural migrants, to examine the degree of integration of migrant farm workers. She finds that their inclusion in the communities where they live and work is poor, despite laudable efforts by nongovernmental organizations, community groups and unions – notably the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada union, which has sponsored some unique transnational initiatives.
Report Number
26
Series Title
IRPP Study
Place
Montreal
Institution
Institute for Research on Public Policy
Date
2012
Pages
39 pages
Language
English
Short Title
Permanently Temporary?
Accessed
10/2/23, 8:36 PM
Citation
Hennabry, J. (2012). Permanently Temporary? Agricultural Migrant Workers and Their Integration in Canada (No. 26; IRPP Study, p. 39 pages). Institute for Research on Public Policy. https://irpp.org/research-studies/permanently-temporary/