“PUSHING CLIMATE REFUGEES INTO MIGRANT WORKER PROGRAMS”

In 2017, wildfires in B.C. captured headlines…But there were some agricultural workers whose precarity rendered them nearly invisible, even as they continued to labour in the heat and the smoke…

…Many of the impacted workers are, like Andrea, migrants who are brought in on temporary work visas to fill labour shortages. They often come attempting to escape the climate crisis in their countries of origin, only to arrive in Canada and face extreme climate impacts here…

The climate impacts of the past few years have only been compounded by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic…

…Their choices are to work in whatever conditions they are subjected to or risk deportation…

…many employers did not allow workers to bring water with them. Workers reported a lack of shade, too few breaks, and thick work clothing that increased their body temperatures.

The report lists a number of other occupational health and safety hazards, including consecutive long days of strenuous work without adequate rest; repetitive and stressful ergonomic positions…

These conditions are responsible for mass disability and death…

…permanent residency status would entitle migrants to health care, protect them from deportation, and ensure the emergency supports provided to citizens…