Agricultural organizations across Canada are trying to find a solution to this problem. They appreciate that the spread of the virus needs to be curbed, but they also need their TFWs.
Bamford confirmed that no TFWs were allowed into Canada from March 18, and that “Ottawa needs to provide a solution to farmers as to how they will be able to grow and harvest their crops for the year ahead without their workers”.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship spokesman for Canada, Kevin Lemkay provided an emailed statement from the Minister’s offices for Immigration, Fisheries and Oceans, Agriculture and Employment.
This statement confirmed the creation of an Emergency Response Committee to discuss serious responses to food security in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agricultural sector has had problems with labour shortages for many years, and has become reliant on TFWs in this industry. Because of ongoing labour shortages, the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot was created, which is due to start on March 30.
This intention of this program is to provide permanent residency to TFWs, focusing on those who work in the meat and mushroom sectors.
The Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council (CAHRC) webpage claims that the agricultural sector suffered revenue losses of $2.9 billion in 2017 because 16,500 jobs couldn’t be filled. This website also states that labour shortages across provinces and commodities negatively influence current production and future economic growth.
Connery claims that not only does the country run the risk of losing employees with scarce skills, but the livelihoods of these valuable TFWs is also at stake. Additionally, they care about the wellbeing of their TFWS. “Personal moments are treasured when an employee tells him that they will earn enough to build a home or make improvements to an existing home this year”, Conner said.
