Addressing the occupational health and safety risks of migrant workers in Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program

In recent decades, the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) has risen in popularity among employers to fill short-term labour shortages in Canada's agricultural sector with migrant workers when Canadians are not available. Unfortunately, while working in Canada, migrant workers face hazardous conditions that pose a serious risk to their health and safety. These health threats include increased exposure to unsafe working conditions, an excessive workload, and work-related injuries and illness. Moreover, the SAWP creates additional barriers that make it difficult for migrant workers to access their occupational health and safety rights. To address these issues, this project utilizes a jurisdictional scan and multi-criteria analysis to present and analyze policy options that can improve migrant workers' health and safety and enable them to assert their rights. Based on analysis, this study recommends that the federal government implement a sector-specific permit and on-site OHS workshops and legal clinics.