SOCI Committee Visits the East Coast to Study the Temporary Migrant Worker Program

Senator Ratna Omidvar, chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, lead a delegation on a visit to Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick to learn about the temporary migrant worker program.

The delegation heard from workers, employers, advocates, and local officials. The senators visited an apple orchard, a seafood processor, an organic vegetable producer, and a dairy farm.

The delegation heard that temporary migrant workers are essential to New Brunswick and P.E.I.’s primary industries. Some of the issues that were raised included substandard worker housing, vulnerability of workers to exploitation, and unpredictability for both employers and workers.  

Read the media coverage of the trip: 

Senators tour N.B. promising report on migrant workers, Telegraph-Journal (Sept. 16, 2023) 

Temporary foreign worker housing under microscope as Senate delegation visits P.E.I., Saltwire (Sept. 15, 2023) 

Balancing needs of and need for temporary foreign workers focus of senators’ farm tour, CBC News (Sept. 13, 2023)

More information about the study: 

Watch clips of Senator Omidvar’s questions during the SOCI committee’s meetings on the Migrant Workers Study.

Learn about the Senate of Canada’s Social Affairs Committee.