UN report slams Canada’s human rights record, says Ottawa fails to protect vulnerable workers

A United Nations report has criticised Canada for not adequately protecting the rights of migrant workers, highlighting that its "Temporary Foreign Worker Program" is a "breeding ground" for contemporary forms of slavery. The report states that the program "institutionalised power imbalances that benefit employers and hinder workers from asserting their rights."

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) allows Canadian employers to hire foreign nationals to fill temporary labour and skill shortages. The TFWP is just one of several immigration programs available to foreign nationals who wish to work in Canada. In 2018, there were 84,004 permit holders under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program while by 2022, this figure had risen to 135,818.

The report is by Prof. Tomoya Obokata, who is the UN's Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery. The critical report said that "Canada risks failing to live up to its reputation as a global champion of human rights if it does not act more decisively to reform laws and policies that enable the exploitation of vulnerable workers" and "fail to provide adequate remedy and rehabilitation to victims of exploitation and abuse."

The report urged Canadian authorities to tackle the root causes of contemporary forms of slavery, including poverty, inequality and discrimination, amplified by the legacy of "colonialism and racism, and the housing crisis, in particular the critical shortage of social and transitional housing."

The UN Special Rapporteur Tomoya Obokata visited Canada from 23rd August to 6th September 2023, and the report has been made public recently. The rapporteur has visited Ottawa, Moncton, Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver and the purpose of his visit was to assess the efforts of the Canadian government to prevent and address contemporary forms of slavery.

The report said that during his visit the Special Rapporteur observed that "Canada must do more to address the systematic, intersecting forms of discrimination" that Indigenous Peoples, women and gender-diverse individuals, migrants, and persons with disabilities continue to face.

The report recommended the Canadian governmentmust address the situation of migrant workers by ensuring all migrant workers have a clear pathway to permanent residency and addressing barriers to healthcare for migrant workers, including lack of transport and medical interpretation. It also recommends the creationof a single point of contact for migrant workers to report all types of abuse, including labour, housing and healthcare issues.

(With inputs from agencies)