Press Release: New parliamentary report urges end to closed work permit for migrant workers in Canada

Halifax, Nova Scotia (November 8, 2024) – The House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration has issued a report calling for an end to closed work permits for migrant workers and increased access to permanent residence, following a scathing report by the United Nations. 

In his report, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery Tomoya Obokata said that Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) “serves as a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery, as it institutionalizes asymmetries of power that favour employers and prevent workers from exercising their rights.”

In response, the parliamentary report calls on the Government of Canada to issue migrant workers “sectoral and regional work permits,” in place of closed work permits which bind migrant workers to a single employer. The parliamentary report also recommends developing a “comprehensive plan to provide more pathways to permanent residency for Temporary Foreign Workers in the Low-wage and Primary Agriculture streams and agri-food sector,” improvements to the processing of Vulnerable Worker Open Work Permits (VWOWPs) and a stronger inspection regime. 

Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP), a program of the TFWP, is cited in the report as an example of a sectoral work permit. 

“We’ve seen countless reports of abuse from migrant workers employed in the SAWP in Nova Scotia, including Kerian Burnett from Jamaica and Latoya Ben from Saint Lucia. This model is not the solution. At the heart of the problem is that migrant workers are treated as second class workers in Canada. Only open work permits and permanent residence status on arrival will level the playing field,” said Stacey Gomez, Executive Director of the Centre for Migrant Worker Rights Nova Scotia (CMWR NS). 

Agriculture is a key industry for migrant workers in Nova Scotia. In 2023, 4,150 migrant workers were employed in Nova Scotia, with 38% employed in agricultural industries. 

Since 2021, CMWR NS has reached more than 6,000 migrant workers in Nova Scotia through support services (including VWOWP applications), outreach, community events and rights-based education. So far, CMWR NS’ helpline has seen over 200 calls for support from migrant workers across Nova Scotia in 2023.