[Report] Migrant workers: a vital role in Nova Scotia's economy
This article was originally published by Radio Canada International in Spanish. You’ll find a link to the original article here.
RCI was in Halifax to get an up-close look at the dynamics of Latin American communities in the Maritime Province of Nova Scotia. Temporary workers form an important part of the Latin American landscape in this region of Canada.
Temporary workers and Nova Scotians gathered at a community lunch in Kentville, organized by the Center for Migrant Worker Rights of this maritime province.
Photo: Courtesy / Nova Scotia Centre for Migrant Worker Rights
Maria-Gabriela Aguzzi
Published: 1 April 2025 15:32
The Annapolis Valley, in the maritime province of Nova Scotia, is a popular tourism destination, with picturesque landscapes marked by rolling hills and fertile land. Located within a two hour drive from Halifax, the provincial capital, this place features characteristic vineyards that attract hundreds of visitors every year.
This region, which stretches along the coast of the Bay of Fundy, is also a seasonal home to hundreds of foreign workers who come to Canada to work in the fields. These migrants play a vital role not only in the Annapolis Valley but in Nova Scotia's economy. Without them, many of the farmers in the area would struggle to grow their crops.
Stacey Gómez works directly with them. She knows their achievements and their needs. As executive director of the Center for Migrant Worker Rights Nova Scotia, she is dedicated to informing these migrants about their labour rights, providing support in cases of labour abuse and organizing social activities.
The Center, founded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, has provided support to more than 6,000 migrant workers since its inception. Its work has become increasingly relevant as the number of temporary migrants has increased significantly as a result of the expansion of provincial programs to receive migrant workers.
“We have been working hard to improve their conditions. We started as a volunteer association in 2020, and our work has been growing.”
According to official Statistics Canada data, there were more than 1,500 temporary foreign workers in Nova Scotia in the agricultural and agri-food sectors in 2023. However, the total number of migrant workers was almost 4,000.
Most of Nova Scotia's migrant workers come from the Caribbean, mainly from Jamaica, as well as from Mexico and Guatemala.
"In Nova Scotia, for temporary workers, the agricultural and agri-food sectors are key. We also know that there are others who work in construction, restaurants and hotels," Gomez said.
In addition to the Annapolis Valley, many work seasonally in the south and coastal areas of this maritime province, where they are essential for seafood processing.
Complaints
As is the case in other Canadian regions, where the presence of temporary workers is well known -mainly Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia-, in Nova Scotia there have also been complaints filed about the violation of the labour rights of these migrants, including the provision of inadequate housing and lack of worker protection and representation.
"We have observed that there are systemic problems," Stacey Gómez lamented.
Stacey Gómez's words have solid precedent. In 2023, Tomaya Obakata, UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, denounced in Ottawa that Canada's temporary foreign worker program was a form of slavery.
In January 2025, Amnesty International published a new report denouncing the labour exploitation of migrant workers in the country.
One of the most recent claims made headlines on Canadian public broadcaster CBC. In June 2024, a group of eight migrant workers from Mexico received total compensation of more than $23,000 for lost wages from a seafood company located in southwestern Nova Scotia.
In a decision issued on June 14, the Nova Scotia Labour Board ordered Ocean Pride Fisheries Ltd. to compensate the workers for improper deductions from their wages, unpaid hours and compensation they should have received in lieu of notice of termination.
In that complaint, the Mexican workers were supported by the Center directed by Stacey Gómez, who said that among the vulnerabilities suffered by these migrants is the fact that there are no other channels of support for them, not even from the countries they come from.
Noé Arteaga, a Guatemalan-Canadian who came to Canada as a temporary worker (left) and Stacey Gómez, the director of the Nova Scotia Centre for Migrant Worker Rights.
Photo: Courtesy / Nova Scotia Centre for Migrant Worker Rights
"We are the only association for migrant workers here in Nova Scotia. We know that in other parts of the country, such as Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, there are several organizations. They can count on the Mexican Consulate, for example, but it is in Montreal, and while there is an officer in this province, it is a volunteer position”, she lamented.
“When we began working with these migrant workers, they told us that for the first time they felt that there was someone there to look out for them.”
"We really have created a community and an important network where we are constantly sharing information about their rights," she said.
Years of coming and going
Antonio (the interviewee asked that his last name not be published) is Mexican. He began his experience as a temporary worker in Nova Scotia in 2010. He was 33 years old.
Since then, he has been working in different sectors, including onion and tomato cultivation, and his stays in the country have varied between two and eight months per season. He has accumulated a lot of experience in the hills of the Annapolis Valley.
In an interview with RCI, Antonio said that during all these years, he has had diverse work experiences.
"What is true is that working in the field is heavy," he said via telephone from his native country.
"In 14 years, I have encountered very conscientious employers who provided all the equipment with training that seeks to prevent injuries. But I did have other bosses who practically told me 'do it however you can,' without providing the tools or equipment," he added.
“Truthfully, I can’t say that all my bosses were excellent or good, but I also can’t say that I experienced bad conditions in all the jobs either.”
One injury and back to Mexico
This Mexican worker also worked in strawberry harvesting. In 2021, he suffered an injury to one of his knees due to the requirements of growing this crop. Although his pain increased, he did not want to report it for fear of retaliation from his employer, such as possible dismissal.
"I just complained to my coworkers and they helped me by recommending that I take supplements and medications to ease the pain," he explained.
“We avoid going to the doctor for fear that we will be sent back to our countries of origin or that we will not be asked to come back to work. This is a latent fear that people who go to work in Canada have.”
When the discomfort became unbearable, Antonio sought medical attention, having warned his employers that he was in pain and that working at extremely cold sites made his injury worse. Although they paid attention to his complaints at the time, the final decision is always up to the employers themselves.
"They sent me back to the onion packing plant and that's where I finished my contract that year. The following year, when I returned, there was a lack of personnel because of COVID, so they asked for me ahead of time and sent me to an area that did not correspond to me. Since we belong to the company, they send us wherever they want," he lamented.
Antonio's injury worsened to the point that he decided to put fear aside and report his situation. "When the doctor saw me, he verbally told me that I needed to see a specialist, but on the prescription, he only said that he was prescribing me pain medication," he said.
Although he told the person in charge within the company about his need to see a specialist, he never got an answer to his request. "I feel that they denied me the attention I required, and even though I kept repeating and repeating, they ignored me."
"In the midst of my desperation due to the pain, I told the person [in charge] that I wanted to return to Mexico, but that same night, after reflecting, I told myself that it was not the best thing to do, that I had rights and that I paid for insurance for these reasons. The person [in charge] responded that I was right", he commented.
At the end of that week, Antonio recounted, he received a call. "They told me they were going to take me to the specialist. But when the driver arrived to pick me up, he was the one who told me that he was taking me to the house to pack my bags because that same day, at 3:00 p.m., my flight to Mexico was leaving."
“I had a range of emotions. Anger, sadness, rage and even joy because I was going back to my family. I was going home. But my anger was worth more.”
Packing his bags, Antonio tried to contact the Mexican Consulate in Montreal, as there was no Mexican representation in Nova Scotia. "I also called the Consulate in Ontario, but they couldn't help me, because there was no one available for me," he emphasized.
"I made the decision to go to Mexico, because the other option was to stay, but I felt there were going to be problems, that I was going to be harassed," he said.
Despite this experience, Antonio returned to Canada in the years following his injury to work in the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. He has not returned to Nova Scotia since 2021, a region which he said he has fond memories of, especially the warmth of its people and the beauty of the coastal landscape.
Last year, he worked for four months in Canada, but will not return this year because, thanks to his wife's job insurance in Mexico, he will undergo surgery on his injured knee, putting his participation in the temporary worker program on hold.
"Foreign labor is very valuable."
In a reflective tone, Antonio lamented that the importance of temporary workers in Canada, which he considers vital to the agricultural sector, is often overlooked.
“Foreign labour is very valuable and should be recognized, valued and supported more, regardless of nationality.”
Not to mention the emotional burden of being away from their families, friends and home for months at a time.
For Stacey Gomez, of the Nova Scotia Center for Migrant Worker Rights, such recognition is needed today more than ever, given the political and economic context generated by tensions with the United States.
“Migrant workers feed us. We are buying more local products in Nova Scotia because of this whole political context. But we need to make sure that Canadian employers respect the rights of these workers. We believe both the province and the federal government must do more for them. More unannounced labour and safety inspections, approving open work permits upon arrival and providing pathways to permanent residency to all migrant workers.”
