Foreign workers in Canada could be victims of abuse without fully understanding their rights due to a power imbalance.
That’s the finding of a new report by a UN special rapporteur that highlights problems with the permit program, which it describes as a “breeding ground” for contemporary slavery.
That same report calls on Canada to “end labour migration arrangements that foster exploitation by creating dependency situations that tie workers to their employers.”
Also of concern in the report is the lack of access to health care, and in some cases employers even preventing workers from getting treatment, as well as the government putting much of the responsibility for informing workers about their rights on the employer, despite what it calls an obvious conflict of interest.
A spokesperson for Canada’s employment minister says the government has increased fines for employer non-compliance under Canada’s foreign worker program.
He says the minister is considering increasing fees to pay for “additional integrity and processing activities,” and is looking to put in place new regulations covering employer eligibility.
The number of permits issued under the program increased 88 per cent between 2019 to 2023, but Ottawa has said it plans to reduce the number of such workers in Canada.
Written by: Matt LeBlanc with files from Canadian Press
