Migrant workers in Canada exposed to ‘shocking abuse and discrimination,’ Amnesty says

CNN — Migrant workers in Canada have been exposed to “shocking abuse and discrimination” while working under the country’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, according to a new report by Amnesty International. In the report published Thursday, Amnesty criticized the structure of Canada’s TFWP, which allows employers to hire migrant workers for primarily low-paid jobs across sectors including agriculture, food processing, construction, and hospitality. “The government of Canada takes the safety and dignity of temporary foreign workers very seriously and has been taking strong action to protect workers,” said Nancy Caron, the spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. “While in Canada, temporary foreign workers have the same employment standards, rights, and protections under federal, provincial, and territorial law as do Canadian citizens and permanent residents.” She added the government was “continuously taking steps to strengthen its temporary foreign worker programs,” including programs to help workers obtain private health insurance, a tip line to report wrongdoing, and “open work permits” to allow temporary foreign workers to change employers.