“Healthcare for All: Migrant workers in Nova Scotia need MSI”

…Migrant workers in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) across Canada … must live in housing provided by their employer and are heavily surveilled during shifts. Since the employers get to choose which workers to bring back in subsequent years, any question or complaint …could result in that worker being fired…

If a migrant worker wishes to transfer to a different employer, they have to fight an uphill battle. In situations where a worker can prove abuse from their employer, they can apply for an open work permit that gives them the ability to work anywhere for a period of time set by immigration officials. However, there are many barriers to accessing this…

As if their freedom of movement being curtailed during employment weren’t enough, migrant workers are also required to leave Canada immediately after their contracts end…

In this context, the fact that thousands of migrant workers are denied healthcare has even more dire impacts. Access to public healthcare varies between provinces. In Nova Scotia, migrant workers are not granted MSI until they have worked here continuously for one year. This time requirement automatically excludes all migrant farm workers participating in the SAWP…