Impermanent Workers, Permanent Labour: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Mexican Seasonal Agricultural Workers in BC
Date
2020-06-08
Authors
Castro, Melina E. Cortina
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Abstract
The government of Canada, in an agreement with the governments of Mexico, Guatemala, and ten Caribbean countries, has promoted a number of programs that allow people from the aforementioned countries to work in Canada temporarily, particularly in the field of agriculture. The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) brings over 45,000 workers into Canada yearly, and over half of them are from Mexico. Published and gray literature on the SAWP has revealed that seasonal migrant agricultural workers’ experiences as part of the program are mainly characterized by poor living and working conditions, including several cases of abuse and discrimination. This research explores the ways in which Mexican seasonal agricultural workers make sense of their lived experiences regarding their living and working conditions in British Columbia as part of the SAWP, and it analyses how these experiences are shaped by race and politics.
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Keywords
Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program; Temporary Foreign Workers; Migrant Labour in BC; Mexican Seasonal Agricultural Workers