In my profession, I hear green and unripe ones. Yet I never cease to be amazed at the greed of some humans. Besides the horror stories of pedophiles, murderers, pimps, prostitutes, there are those of those employers who treat their foreign workers like subhumans.
An exploitation that passes under the radar of the authorities and the complacency of this agency for the placement of foreign agricultural workers, FERME-Québec: 12-hour workdays for poverty wages, unpaid overtime, dignified living conditions of the Middle Ages, exposure to toxic products, not to mention sexual harassment, racism, intimidation, threats, insults, the obligation to do work for the personal benefit of the employer (plow his roof, make your driveway, etc.) and so on.
We find these slaves, let’s say the real words, in the fields, slaughterhouses, hotels, restaurants, furniture companies, private residences as housekeepers or nannies, etc.
And, the worst… this power of life or death.
A strong chain
You should know that the foreign worker is literally attached to the employer. Before entering Canada, he must sign an exclusive employment contract. In other words, if the employer decides that he is no longer suitable, he must return home. In addition, he is dangled that if he is well obedient, he will eventually be able to apply for permanent residence.
The work permit is therefore linked to an exclusive contract, thus granting considerable power to the employer. In other words, it is the federal government that chains the slave. Worse still, it offers no escape.
Towards an explosion of requests
In Quebec, a foreign worker, in addition to his work permit issued by the federal government, must obtain a Quebec Acceptance Certificate. The employer must therefore go through two levels of government. It makes you wonder if checks are made to detect delinquent companies.
The Government of Quebec even offers subsidies for recruitment missions abroad, for the moving costs of workers and assistance in completing administrative documents.
With the labor shortage and the decrease in immigration quotas, the needs are crying out. Since August 2021, an agreement with the federal government has allowed Quebec companies to double their hiring of foreign workers in low-wage positions, the category where there is the most exploitation.
Technically, foreign workers enjoy the same rights as those in Quebec: fairness, decent wages, good working conditions, etc. They can even sue in the Labor Court. It looks pretty on the internet. Still, between dream and reality, there is often a gap. There are slavers in Quebec!
What to do ? Some easy avenues: handing hefty fines to delinquent employers, informing foreigners of their rights, and offering them open work permits. Quite simply, breaking their chains.
