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by Lauren Hjalmarson
According to organizational heads Elise Hahn and Amy Cohen, the Okanagan non-profit Red de Apoyo para Migrantes Agrícolas is “a grassroots volunteer-run non-profit whose broad aim is to support workers in the promotion of their well-being and security.” RAMA’s long-form name translates to Migrant Workers Support Network. Its moniker is Spanish for “tree branch.” That name is appropriate, because the organization supports approximately 1500 transnational Latin American labourers who travel to and from the Okanagan each year in order to fill jobs in our agricultural sector.
People often don’t realize that the number of temporary foreign workers entering Canada each year surpasses the number of economic-class permanent residents who are currently living in our country. Canadians tend to forgo jobs in our agricultural sector because of the long, unpredictable hours they require as well as the fact that they are, by necessity, seasonal.
“It used to be that when there were labour shortages, Canada opened its doors to new immigrants,” Elise and Amy told me, “However, with the changes to immigration law in the past several decades, and especially since 2000, these labour shortages are being filled with temporary foreign workers.”
There are many advantages for farm owners in employing transnational workers. While migrant workers can be more expensive due to the fact that their employers must both pay for their travel to and from Mexico City and make arrangements for their housing and food, the workers are bonded to the farms that fly them in and can be deported if they become unsuitable for their positions. Suitability can be judged based on the work that a particular employee provides and also based on their physical fitness for their position. For example, if an employee sustains an injury, they can be deported back to their home country and replaced by a new worker.
While that possibility alone may sound like good reason for a transnational worker not to take a job in Canada, foreigners brought in fill our agricultural jobs are paid higher here than they would be for the same work at home. They come because they want to provide better lives for the families that depend on them; and, as long as there is work here, they will keep coming.
You can read more about RAMA, as well as Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program, in this previous article on the subject. Red de Apoyo para Migrantes Agrícolas is also actively looking for volunteers. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Migrant Workers Support Network, you can contact Elise Hahn or Amy Cohen through their website (http://ramaokanagan.org/).
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