The announcement last week by the Canadian government that the border would now be closed to anyone other than Canadian citizens or permanent residents, to curb the spread of COVID-19, left farmers with grave concerns for their upcoming season.
Thankfully, the federal government responded quickly to cries that these measures would bar temporary foreign workers from making their annual journey and effectively cripple the agricultural sector in Canada. This would have been the case locally as well, where more and more farms and orchards are relying on help from foreign workers to get through the season.
In a press release, the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) made the precariousness of the situation very clear: “Because of the labour shortage in the agricultural sector, the presence in Quebec of some 16,000 temporary foreign workers from Mexico, Guatemala and other countries is essential to Quebec’s agri-food industry,” said Marcel Groleau, president of the UPA.
Ottawa responded quickly in announcing exemptions to the border-closing measures, which will allow temporary foreign workers to enter the country in the coming weeks. All workers will undergo a health screening before leaving their home countries and will be expected to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arriving in Canada.
In a communication sent to its members, Ferme, the organization that manages the recruitment of foreign agricultural workers, suggested that while Ottawa has decided to admit foreign workers, it might not be so simple in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, workers may not arrive on scheduled dates nor arrive where they are expected, now that there are only four Canadian airports accepting international flights. Another issue at the moment is the fact Guatemala has closed its borders completely due to the pandemic and is not allowing citizens to leave the country.
“It’s out of everybody’s hands and in the hands of the government of Guatemala,” says Amy Tolhurst of Tolhurst Farms in Howick, which relies on four employees from that Central American country. The farm’s workers are paired, with one here alternating with one in the home country, which has meant Tolhurst’s current employees are not able to go home as planned and their replacements are not able to leave Guatemala. And while she’s pleased with the government’s decision and the involvement of the different groups pressing for this exemption, Tolhurst is concerned for her employees and for the extra complications this adds to the growing season.