The Hill Times op-ed housing crisis

March 20, 2024

Published originally in The Hill Times on March 18, 2024

The housing crisis hitting migrant agricultural workers in Canada

 By Anelyse Weiler and Susana Caxaj

Many Canadians are all-too familiar with the current housing crisis in cities. However, policymakers have been overlooking a parallel crisis hitting rural areas. Agricultural workers hired through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program often live in employer-provided housing that Canadians would refuse. Racialized farmworkers hired on temporary contracts from countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, and Jamaica have reported housing conditions that are inconsistent, overcrowded, and in some cases severely substandard. Poor-quality housing can harm migrants’ health through exposure to hazards such as mold. As bosses increasingly turn toward the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, policymakers should establish and enforce a national housing standard to protect migrant agricultural workers.

The ‘temporary’ part of ‘temporary foreign worker’ is a misnomer. Many low-wage migrant farmworkers return to Canada each season for years or even decades. However, they lack job security. If a worker fails to measure up to their employer’s expectations of hyper-productivity and compliance, they can lose their housing and be repatriated. Employers can hire workers from any Global South country, where locals often jump at the chance to alleviate harsh unemployment and poverty. Consequently, bosses lack much incentive to provide competitive wages, working conditions, or accommodations. Migrant farmworkers don’t have the freedom to choose their employer or the province where they work. In some cases, they don’t even have the freedom to choose the person with whom they share a bunk bed.

 In our recent study of farmworker housing in Ontario and B.C., the 128 men and women we interviewed struggled to satisfy even their most basic needs. Overcrowding was of particular concern for workers’ privacy, health, and personal dignity. A female worker described how there wasn’t enough privacy or washroom space to maintain menstrual hygiene. A male worker explained, “You can’t even wish your wife a good night,” without roommates overhearing. In jam-packed bunkhouses, some workers lacked secure storage for their belongings or even a free chair to sit and eat their meals. Several individuals reported sharing a bedroom with 6-8 other workers. During their limited time off work, many had to wait in line-ups to use scarce facilities such as kitchens, toilets, and showers. Reflecting on housing conditions overall, Avita, a 37-year-old mother from Jamaica declared: 

It’s slavery for me. It’s less than slavery actually. Because you’re treated inhumane[ly] and where you’re placed, well, they [wouldn’t even] put animals to sleep.

Yet reporting substandard housing conditions can come with significant risks for migrant workers. One worker reported that after a year of washing his clothes by hand, he requested a functional washing machine. In response, his boss declined to rehire him the subsequent season. 

Often, migrant agricultural workers live on their employer’s farm property, which can make them feel like they are constantly ‘on call’, under surveillance, and isolated. Bosses may impose arbitrary house rules such as banning alcohol or visitors, along with restrictions on leaving the farm without permission. Our research showed that forcing workers to depend on a boss or manager for transportation during a medical emergency could be life-threatening. In less extreme cases, it undermined migrants’ quality of life and sense of connection to local communities. As one worker reported: 

Unfortunately we depend on [employers] to take us on the bus. . . Sadly, we do not have a social life. We get here and it’s like we are prisoners.

Two UN special rapporteurs have condemned Canada’s migrant farmworker program for creating an extreme power imbalance between bosses and workers by design. To deal with the root of these problems, migrant workers should have a meaningful say on the conditions that affect their lives. Permanent residency, open work permits, and a fair grievance procedure before repatriation would give workers more power to refuse poor housing and work. The federal government needs to coordinate among all levels of government and stand up to agricultural industry lobbying. A national housing standard should include a significantly higher bar for physical housing conditions, along with random, proactive inspections. Grown adults shouldn’t have to share bunk beds or depend on community groups to donate fans during extreme summer heat. Ultimately, migrant agricultural workers deserve to live with the same health, safety, and dignity owed to any Canadian worker.

Anelyse Weiler is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Victoria. 

C. Susana Caxaj is an associate professor in the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing at Western University in London, Ont., Canada.