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By Prince Moore
The Canadian Temporary Foreign Worker Programme is coming in for increased scrutiny after a report revealed that migrant workers on the programme have been exposed to shocking abuse and discrimination.
The revelation was made in a new report by Amnesty International.
The report comes less than two years after another report from the United Nations disclosed that Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Programme was a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.
Jamaicans are among participants in the Canadian Temporary Foreign Worker Programme.
In the report published Thursday, Amnesty criticised the structure of the Canadian programme, which allows employers to hire migrant workers for primarily low-paid jobs across sectors including agriculture, food processing, construction, and hospitality.
The human rights organisation said labourers were vulnerable to abuse through harmful provisions in the programme, including closed work permits that tie workers to a single employer who controls both their migration status and labour conditions.
The Canadian government told CNN it was reviewing Amnesty International's report and as such cannot provide further comment at this time.
But, it added, temporary foreign workers are entitled to the same workplace conditions and rights as Canadians. It said any violation of those rights is completely unacceptable.
Amnesty interviewed 44 migrant workers from 14 countries for the report, predominantly from what it termed the Global South, with most workers reporting unpaid wages and excessive hours.
Some workers told Amnesty their contracts stipulated zero rest days.
Many workers said they suffered discrimination at work, including being tasked with the hardest physical jobs.
Some workers said they suffered severe injuries or developed medical conditions due to unsafe working conditions.
Amnesty also said many workers reported living in inadequate housing conditions, with a few saying they did not have drinking water in their accommodation.
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