Issues outlined in UN report linking temp foreign worker programs to 'slavery' present in Sask.: experts

A scathing United Nations report released last month denounces Canada's temporary foreign worker program as a "breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery," citing wage theft, excessive work hours, limited breaks and physical abuse as some of the ways workers are being mistreated.

The final report from the UNs' special rapporteur, Tomoya Obokata, on contemporary forms of slavery reiterates his previous comments after a visit to Canada last year. It outlines how the looming threat of deportation can prevent workers from reporting unsafe or exploitative conditions.

Saskatchewan employs temporary foreign workers across various industries, especially in agriculture, which accounts for the most temporary foreign workers across Canada. Experts say conditions in the province are indeed a problem.

Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday he objected to the phrase "contemporary slavery" in reference to the temporary foreign worker program, but still acknowledged the abuses outlined in the report and said they need to stop.

"Any person in Canada, regardless of who they employ, needs to treat people with dignity and respect according to the law," Miller said. "That isn't happening in some sectors that employ temporary foreign workers, and that needs to end."

Tomoya Obokata, UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, says Canada's temporary foreign worker program creates an uneven relationship between employers and workers. (Submitted by the UN Human Rights Commission)

In the UN report, Obokata — a professor of international human rights law at the University of York in the U.K. — says he received reports of workers being underpaid and going without protective equipment, and of employers confiscating documents, arbitrarily cutting working hours and preventing workers from seeking health care.

"Women reported sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse," the report says.

Rural workers especially vulnerable: Open Door CEO

Ali Abukar, CEO at Saskatoon Open Door Society, agreed that the temporary foreign worker program is putting already vulnerable people in servitude.

Abukar said his organization and others like it on the Prairies have often come across cases of abuse and fraud.

"Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, we're the same as everywhere else," he said.

"We see the same problems: issues of working conditions, access to supports, lack of information, people who might not have one of the official languages in Canada who need interpretation, especially if they are also outside of the urban centres."

He said the problems are even worse in rural Saskatchewan. He said he has seen examples of people being underpaid or denied pay, put through long hours in difficult working conditions and prevented by employers from seeking support.

"They are under the mercy of their employers because they want to become permanent residents. If an employer is trying to exploit that situation, there is that opportunity there."

Ali Abukar, CEO at Saskatoon Open Door Society, says his organization has heard of abuse and wage theft from temporary foreign workers in Saskatchewan. (Pratyush Dayal/CBC)

He said the province should allocate resources for organizations like his that support these vulnerable populations and strengthen the accountability for employers.

Patterns of abuse same across Canada: advocate

Karen Cocq, the projects and campaigns co-ordinator for the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said the UN report reveals "that these systems and programs are rooted in racism."

"It's a very damning report, but again, it's not surprising," she said.

Cocq said recent moves by the federal government, like capping international student visas, not renewing postgraduate work permits or capping the number of temporary residents, are fanning anti-immigration rhetoric.

"This focus on numbers by the government is really bowing to and caving to this rising xenophobia and racism that we are seeing in Canada."

Karen Cocq, the projects and campaigns co-oordinator for the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, says the UN report reveals 'that these systems and programs are rooted in racism.' (Submitted by Karen Cocq)

Cocq said the "stories and patterns of abuse are the same" regardless of the industry or location. She said the temporary foreign worker program has "institutionalized the power imbalance between workers and employers" by creating an environment where workers cannot speak up about violations of their rights because of the threat of deportation.

"That is not an accident. That is by design," Cocq said.

New act to clamp down on exploitation: minister

Cocq said she was encouraged by the UN report emphasizing permanent resident status as the mechanism for workers to get equal footing.

Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan immigration minister, told CBC News at a news conference Wednesday that he agrees.

"We want to make sure that there is a path for permanency for those who would come, whether it be on a temporary basis or other basis," Harrison said. "What I would like to see though is how we make sure that temporary residents are converted to long-term permanent residents."

A recent Statistics Canada report found 72.2 per cent of immigrants who were admitted to Saskatchewan in 2012 stayed at least five years. That dropped to 57.9 per cent for those admitted in 2016.

Saskatchewan Immigration Minister Jeremy Harrison says the province's new immigration act will ensure employers are acting appropriately. (Pratyush Dayal/CBC)

When questioned about the provincial government's pause on the permanent residency pathway under its hard-to-fill skills pilot program that has left many immigrants scrambling, Harrison said it was a time-limited program.

"It wasn't that the government just arbitrarily ended the program," Harrison said. "We had parameters around that."

Harrison said he is in discussions with the federal government about permanent residency specifically for Ukrainians who fled the war and have a limited number of months left on their visa.

He also said the province's Immigration Services Act is meant to clamp down on exploitation of workers.

"It's the most far reaching provincial Immigration Services statute in the entire country. It's going to be copied around the country as well, which provides very, very significant tools to make sure those who are here are going to be protected, and not be exploited."

Harrison said the act will ensure employers are acting appropriately, and there will be investigation, punishment and fines.