Interesting..... some of the conditions exist now in the 21st Century among the Farm Workers in Canada
YouTube - Michael Parenti -- Functions of Fascism Part 3 of 4
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
J4MW: 'Debt bondage' grows in Windsor area
http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Debt+bondage+grows/3174090/story.html
LEAMINGTON, Ont. -- Her first duty when she stepped off the plane at Toronto's Pearson International Airport: slip her Canadian contact some money wrapped in a newspaper.
Her next duty: start paying back the $5,000-plus -- a huge sum for her back home -- that she paid to work in Canada.
She remained hopeful, but when "Angela" arrived in Leamington from her home country in southern Asia, she soon started realizing farm work in Canada wasn't as advertised.
She said she lives in an overcrowded apartment, her wages are below what she signed on for and she experiences a general lack of freedom, including with whom she associates.
"I'm still paying after almost two years," said Angela, who supports two children back home on $400 a month and lives in an apartment here with eight people.
"We don't have a problem with the work, it is only with the agent we work with." "He tries to control our home, our work renewal permits, even our laundry," Angela said.
"We do not have freedom at all." Human-rights advocates are focusing more and more on the growing issue of "debt bondage" and human trafficking in Windsor and across the country, helping educate foreign workers about their rights in Canada.
Angela is among the thousands of temporary foreign workers who cut fish, pack cucumbers and pick tomatoes in Essex County.
Most work at legitimate operations and happily return year after year. Some, however, pay excessive fees to agencies promising benefits that never materialize.
A work renewal permit costs $150. But third-party agents sometimes charge $2,000 or more to fill out the paperwork. If workers attempt to complete the requirements themselves, an unscrupulous agent might threaten to have a worker fired -- which would instantly render the foreign national "illegal" in Canada.
Such workers then feel defenceless.
"I came to work in Canada to get money for my family in Thailand," said Sumalee, 31, who has been in Canada for four years and who sometimes makes as little as $50 a day doing piece-meal work in a fish-packing plant. "I feel disappointed because we didn't get what we expected.
"It's kind of frustrating. But I keep smiling. I still have hope." The United Nations defines human trafficking as "the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them." The UN notes that every country in the world experiences the phenomenon to some degree and estimated in 2008 that some 2.5 million people fell victim to human trafficking worldwide.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: "After drug dealing, trafficking of humans is tied with arms dealing as the second largest criminal industry in the world, and is the fastest growing." Yet it's hard to see.
"Human trafficking is a very difficult problem to wrap your head around statistically, because it's a very hidden crime," said Marty Van Doren, the RCMP's London-based human trafficking awareness co-ordinator. "Most human trafficking victims never come to the attention of law enforcement or other organizations. They don't come forward because they can be very scared of the human traffickers who are taking advantage of them, scared to testify, scared of authorities. Quite often they're ashamed to come forward, and if they're illegal in this country, they have a big bull's-eye on them because there's always a chance of being deported." Van Doren said while coercing women into the sex trade is the most common form of human trafficking, exploited labourers -- especially in southern Ontario -- are the next most common group.
Canada has obtained five convictions of human trafficking under the Canadian Criminal Code, and some 30 others are before the courts. One human trafficking charge was laid in the Windsor area under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. A Windsor man allegedly kept two American men against their will, collecting their pension cheques.
Yet human trafficking convictions prove difficult, Van Doren said, since the cases often come down to one person's word against another's.
Shelley Gilbert, co-ordinator of social-work services at Legal Assistance of Windsor, provided a presentation on the complexities of human trafficking Friday at the Canadian Social Forum, at All Saints Church.
She notes that Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. have specific legislation governing third-party job recruiters.
She wants to see tougher federal legislation, which includes the stipulation that employers, not workers, pay recruiter fees.
Some workers, she said, pay more than $10,000 to third-party agents, and then come here to find more and more fees added, and less and less ability to break the cycle. They can't go home because they still owe money, and they face restrictions if they stay.
"There are thousands of temporary foreign workers in Windsor and Essex County," Gilbert said. "Are all of them victims of human trafficking? Absolutely not.
"But the more we work with that population, the more we see evidence and people coming to us over the last year. I liken the issue to domestic violence 25 years ago, when domestic violence was very secretive." Gilbert believes that while most people don't know the term "human trafficking," the tide has begun to turn, and that temporary foreign workers are starting to recognize that they can stand up.
A group of Thai workers recently approached MP Dave Van Kesteren's Chatham-Kent-Essex constituency office, for instance, to discuss the phenomenon.
"We want to investigate this," Van Kesteren said Friday, noting that abuses are rare but that they generally arise from third-party recruiters. "We don't want abuses. It's heart-rending to hear these people's stories." Van Kesteren said he has spoken to the government about human trafficking, and that he wants to explore legislation that would place more controls on third-party job recruiters. But he doesn't want to dismantle the current system.
"This is a very important process that we have here," he said. "It's very important to our farmers, to the greenhouse growers, to the economy, and it's also important to the migrant workers who have good, legitimate arrangements." Van Kesteren plans to host a round-table on the issue with community stakeholders later this summer. © Copyright (c) The Windsor Star
Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Debt+bondage+grows/3174090/story.html#ixzz0rRJszclp
__._,_.___
LEAMINGTON, Ont. -- Her first duty when she stepped off the plane at Toronto's Pearson International Airport: slip her Canadian contact some money wrapped in a newspaper.
Her next duty: start paying back the $5,000-plus -- a huge sum for her back home -- that she paid to work in Canada.
She remained hopeful, but when "Angela" arrived in Leamington from her home country in southern Asia, she soon started realizing farm work in Canada wasn't as advertised.
She said she lives in an overcrowded apartment, her wages are below what she signed on for and she experiences a general lack of freedom, including with whom she associates.
"I'm still paying after almost two years," said Angela, who supports two children back home on $400 a month and lives in an apartment here with eight people.
"We don't have a problem with the work, it is only with the agent we work with." "He tries to control our home, our work renewal permits, even our laundry," Angela said.
"We do not have freedom at all." Human-rights advocates are focusing more and more on the growing issue of "debt bondage" and human trafficking in Windsor and across the country, helping educate foreign workers about their rights in Canada.
Angela is among the thousands of temporary foreign workers who cut fish, pack cucumbers and pick tomatoes in Essex County.
Most work at legitimate operations and happily return year after year. Some, however, pay excessive fees to agencies promising benefits that never materialize.
A work renewal permit costs $150. But third-party agents sometimes charge $2,000 or more to fill out the paperwork. If workers attempt to complete the requirements themselves, an unscrupulous agent might threaten to have a worker fired -- which would instantly render the foreign national "illegal" in Canada.
Such workers then feel defenceless.
"I came to work in Canada to get money for my family in Thailand," said Sumalee, 31, who has been in Canada for four years and who sometimes makes as little as $50 a day doing piece-meal work in a fish-packing plant. "I feel disappointed because we didn't get what we expected.
"It's kind of frustrating. But I keep smiling. I still have hope." The United Nations defines human trafficking as "the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them." The UN notes that every country in the world experiences the phenomenon to some degree and estimated in 2008 that some 2.5 million people fell victim to human trafficking worldwide.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: "After drug dealing, trafficking of humans is tied with arms dealing as the second largest criminal industry in the world, and is the fastest growing." Yet it's hard to see.
"Human trafficking is a very difficult problem to wrap your head around statistically, because it's a very hidden crime," said Marty Van Doren, the RCMP's London-based human trafficking awareness co-ordinator. "Most human trafficking victims never come to the attention of law enforcement or other organizations. They don't come forward because they can be very scared of the human traffickers who are taking advantage of them, scared to testify, scared of authorities. Quite often they're ashamed to come forward, and if they're illegal in this country, they have a big bull's-eye on them because there's always a chance of being deported." Van Doren said while coercing women into the sex trade is the most common form of human trafficking, exploited labourers -- especially in southern Ontario -- are the next most common group.
Canada has obtained five convictions of human trafficking under the Canadian Criminal Code, and some 30 others are before the courts. One human trafficking charge was laid in the Windsor area under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. A Windsor man allegedly kept two American men against their will, collecting their pension cheques.
Yet human trafficking convictions prove difficult, Van Doren said, since the cases often come down to one person's word against another's.
Shelley Gilbert, co-ordinator of social-work services at Legal Assistance of Windsor, provided a presentation on the complexities of human trafficking Friday at the Canadian Social Forum, at All Saints Church.
She notes that Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. have specific legislation governing third-party job recruiters.
She wants to see tougher federal legislation, which includes the stipulation that employers, not workers, pay recruiter fees.
Some workers, she said, pay more than $10,000 to third-party agents, and then come here to find more and more fees added, and less and less ability to break the cycle. They can't go home because they still owe money, and they face restrictions if they stay.
"There are thousands of temporary foreign workers in Windsor and Essex County," Gilbert said. "Are all of them victims of human trafficking? Absolutely not.
"But the more we work with that population, the more we see evidence and people coming to us over the last year. I liken the issue to domestic violence 25 years ago, when domestic violence was very secretive." Gilbert believes that while most people don't know the term "human trafficking," the tide has begun to turn, and that temporary foreign workers are starting to recognize that they can stand up.
A group of Thai workers recently approached MP Dave Van Kesteren's Chatham-Kent-Essex constituency office, for instance, to discuss the phenomenon.
"We want to investigate this," Van Kesteren said Friday, noting that abuses are rare but that they generally arise from third-party recruiters. "We don't want abuses. It's heart-rending to hear these people's stories." Van Kesteren said he has spoken to the government about human trafficking, and that he wants to explore legislation that would place more controls on third-party job recruiters. But he doesn't want to dismantle the current system.
"This is a very important process that we have here," he said. "It's very important to our farmers, to the greenhouse growers, to the economy, and it's also important to the migrant workers who have good, legitimate arrangements." Van Kesteren plans to host a round-table on the issue with community stakeholders later this summer. © Copyright (c) The Windsor Star
Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Debt+bondage+grows/3174090/story.html#ixzz0rRJszclp
__._,_.___
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
MIGRANT WORKERS FACE BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE
Letters to the editor
Posted 10 days ago
MIGRANT WORKERS FACE BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE
Shock and disbelief only partially capture my reaction to the inflammatory comments made by Dr. Harold Hynscht regarding the influx of visits by migrant workers to his clinic (Reformer, May 19).
While it seems that he was attempting to gain sympathy for the high volume of visits to his clinic on Friday night, describing the large number of migrant workers as "awful" and how it "off ends him" not only shows a disregard for the health needs of migrant workers, but also squarely puts the blames for their precarious access to health care on the migrant workers themselves.
Migrant workers, many of whom have worked here for decades, form the backbone of our local agricultural industry, and are entitled to health care access. However they face insurmountable barriers to access this care. From isolation and alienation in rural communities, a lack of independent transportation and interpretation services, to the threat of repatriation if they cannot work due to illness or injury.
They also may face permanent disbarment from Canada if their employer or government representative are of the view that a migrant worker is not fit to work the following year.
The health needs of migrant workers are many and the services provided to address their particular concerns are few.
A specific migrant health care strategy is needed from both the province and the federal government.
However the comments provided by Dr. Hynscht are neither productive nor helpful in advancing collective concerns about our current health care system.
Regardless of whether or not his intent was to single out the migrant worker community, the impact of his comments further compound the disparate situation that awaits sick or injured migrant workers.
As part of a migrant rights collective that has worked with migrant workers for over a decade, I can attest to the many workers who are suffering in their home country as a result of injuries or ailments received while working in Canada.
A recent report on the social determinants of health found that racialized residents of Canada were disproportionately disadvantaged in areas such as housing, employment, education and access to health care. Now imagine the additional barriers that rural racialized communities face, particularly those who endure both precarious immigration and employment status?
Posted 10 days ago
MIGRANT WORKERS FACE BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE
Shock and disbelief only partially capture my reaction to the inflammatory comments made by Dr. Harold Hynscht regarding the influx of visits by migrant workers to his clinic (Reformer, May 19).
While it seems that he was attempting to gain sympathy for the high volume of visits to his clinic on Friday night, describing the large number of migrant workers as "awful" and how it "off ends him" not only shows a disregard for the health needs of migrant workers, but also squarely puts the blames for their precarious access to health care on the migrant workers themselves.
Migrant workers, many of whom have worked here for decades, form the backbone of our local agricultural industry, and are entitled to health care access. However they face insurmountable barriers to access this care. From isolation and alienation in rural communities, a lack of independent transportation and interpretation services, to the threat of repatriation if they cannot work due to illness or injury.
They also may face permanent disbarment from Canada if their employer or government representative are of the view that a migrant worker is not fit to work the following year.
The health needs of migrant workers are many and the services provided to address their particular concerns are few.
A specific migrant health care strategy is needed from both the province and the federal government.
However the comments provided by Dr. Hynscht are neither productive nor helpful in advancing collective concerns about our current health care system.
Regardless of whether or not his intent was to single out the migrant worker community, the impact of his comments further compound the disparate situation that awaits sick or injured migrant workers.
As part of a migrant rights collective that has worked with migrant workers for over a decade, I can attest to the many workers who are suffering in their home country as a result of injuries or ailments received while working in Canada.
A recent report on the social determinants of health found that racialized residents of Canada were disproportionately disadvantaged in areas such as housing, employment, education and access to health care. Now imagine the additional barriers that rural racialized communities face, particularly those who endure both precarious immigration and employment status?
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Calderón llega a Canadá; hablará sobre visas - El Universal - México
Calderón llega a Canadá; hablará sobre visas - El Universal - México
Calderón llega a Canadá; hablará sobre visas
EL titular del Ejecutivo permanecerá dos días en aquel país, donde colocará una ofrenda floral ante la tumba del soldado desconocido en Ottawa y a continuación se dirigirá al Parlamento
AGENDA Calderón realiza su segunda visita oficial en Canadá (Foto: Archivo ELUNIVERSAL )
* Enviar por email
* Tamaño del texto
* Imprimir
Notas Relacionadas
* Tema económico, prioridad de FCH en Canadá 11:22
* Calderón se alista para discurso en Harvard 07:45
* Calderón visita Canadá para fortalecer relaciones 2010-05-26
* Calderón hablará ante estudiantes en Harvard 2010-05-25
TORONTO | Miércoles 26 de mayo de 2010 EFE | El Universal11:31
10 comentarios
El presidente de México, Felipe Calderón, llega esta noche a Canadá para realizar una visita oficial hasta el 28 de mayo durante la que tratará con el Gobierno y empresarios canadienses temas comerciales y el problema de los visados a mexicanos.
Calderón iniciará el jueves su segunda visita oficial a Canadá con una ofrenda floral ante la tumba del soldado desconocido en Ottawa y a continuación se dirigirá al Parlamento para entrevistarse con el primer ministro canadiense, Stephen Harper, y pronunciará un discurso en la cámara baja.
Harper dijo a principios de mes que la visita de Calderón "subraya la fuerte y resistente amistad entre Canadá y México" y aseguró que esperaba "reforzar esta relación estratégica a finales de mes" .
Las relaciones comerciales entre los dos países, ambos socios del Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte (TLCAN) junto con Estados Unidos, centrarán las reuniones que Calderón mantendrá en Canadá.
Tras su llegada al poder en 2006, el Gobierno de Harper declaró que las relaciones del país norteamericano con Latinoamérica era un objetivo estratégico y desde entonces ha lanzado un ambicioso programa para fortalecer las relaciones comerciales con el resto del continente.
Por ejemplo, este mes Canadá firmó un acuerdo de libre comercio con Panamá, está a la espera de la aprobación parlamentaria del TLC con Colombia y mantiene negociaciones para acuerdos similares con los países centroamericanos.
El ministro de Comercio Internacional, Peter Van Loan, señaló recientemente a Efe que Ottawa estaba ahora interesado en iniciar conversaciones comerciales con los países del Mercosur, el mayor bloque económico latinoamericano.
Desde que el TLCAN entró en vigor en 1994, el comercio bilateral entre Canadá y México se ha disparado para multiplicarse por seis. En 2009, el valor del intercambio de bienes entre los dos países sumó 15 mil 679 millones de dólares.
México se ha convertido en el quinto destino de las exportaciones canadienses, el tercer proveedor de bienes de Canadá y uno de los principales destinos de las inversiones canadienses hasta el punto que Canadá es el cuarto país en inversiones en México.
En este sentido, Calderón tiene previsto viajar en la noche del jueves a Toronto, la capital económica del país, para participar en una cena a la que asistirán unos 350 empresarios canadienses.
Y el viernes, poco antes de regresar a México, se reunirá en Montreal con algunas de las principales empresas canadienses, como el mayor fabricante de material ferroviario y aéreo del mundo, Bombardier. En Montreal, Calderón también tiene previsto reunirse con el primer ministro de Québec, Jean Charest.
El principal punto de conflicto entre los dos países fue la imposición canadiense en 2009 de visados a los visitantes mexicanos.
Canadá justificó la decisión por el aumento de las peticiones de refugio procedentes de México, pero las autoridades mexicanas criticaron la medida y la forma en que fue anunciada por Ottawa.
En octubre de 2009, durante una visita a Toronto, la ex secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores mexicana Rosario Green dijo que la imposición de visado a los mexicanos había profundizado el bache que las relaciones de los dos países han experimentado desde la llegada al poder de Harper.
A principios de mayo, el principal grupo de la oposición canadiense, el Partido Liberal, dijo que desde la imposición de la exigencia de visado, los viajes que duran más de un día de México a Canadá se han reducido un 60.5 por ciento, la mayor disminución experimentada en el sector turístico canadiense.
Las autoridades mexicanas han señalado que Calderón tiene previsto tratar con Harper posibles soluciones para facilitar la entrada de mexicanos a Canadá, especialmente empresarios, estudiantes y trabajadores temporales.
cg
Calderón llega a Canadá; hablará sobre visas
EL titular del Ejecutivo permanecerá dos días en aquel país, donde colocará una ofrenda floral ante la tumba del soldado desconocido en Ottawa y a continuación se dirigirá al Parlamento
AGENDA Calderón realiza su segunda visita oficial en Canadá (Foto: Archivo ELUNIVERSAL )
* Enviar por email
* Tamaño del texto
* Imprimir
Notas Relacionadas
* Tema económico, prioridad de FCH en Canadá 11:22
* Calderón se alista para discurso en Harvard 07:45
* Calderón visita Canadá para fortalecer relaciones 2010-05-26
* Calderón hablará ante estudiantes en Harvard 2010-05-25
TORONTO | Miércoles 26 de mayo de 2010 EFE | El Universal11:31
10 comentarios
El presidente de México, Felipe Calderón, llega esta noche a Canadá para realizar una visita oficial hasta el 28 de mayo durante la que tratará con el Gobierno y empresarios canadienses temas comerciales y el problema de los visados a mexicanos.
Calderón iniciará el jueves su segunda visita oficial a Canadá con una ofrenda floral ante la tumba del soldado desconocido en Ottawa y a continuación se dirigirá al Parlamento para entrevistarse con el primer ministro canadiense, Stephen Harper, y pronunciará un discurso en la cámara baja.
Harper dijo a principios de mes que la visita de Calderón "subraya la fuerte y resistente amistad entre Canadá y México" y aseguró que esperaba "reforzar esta relación estratégica a finales de mes" .
Las relaciones comerciales entre los dos países, ambos socios del Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte (TLCAN) junto con Estados Unidos, centrarán las reuniones que Calderón mantendrá en Canadá.
Tras su llegada al poder en 2006, el Gobierno de Harper declaró que las relaciones del país norteamericano con Latinoamérica era un objetivo estratégico y desde entonces ha lanzado un ambicioso programa para fortalecer las relaciones comerciales con el resto del continente.
Por ejemplo, este mes Canadá firmó un acuerdo de libre comercio con Panamá, está a la espera de la aprobación parlamentaria del TLC con Colombia y mantiene negociaciones para acuerdos similares con los países centroamericanos.
El ministro de Comercio Internacional, Peter Van Loan, señaló recientemente a Efe que Ottawa estaba ahora interesado en iniciar conversaciones comerciales con los países del Mercosur, el mayor bloque económico latinoamericano.
Desde que el TLCAN entró en vigor en 1994, el comercio bilateral entre Canadá y México se ha disparado para multiplicarse por seis. En 2009, el valor del intercambio de bienes entre los dos países sumó 15 mil 679 millones de dólares.
México se ha convertido en el quinto destino de las exportaciones canadienses, el tercer proveedor de bienes de Canadá y uno de los principales destinos de las inversiones canadienses hasta el punto que Canadá es el cuarto país en inversiones en México.
En este sentido, Calderón tiene previsto viajar en la noche del jueves a Toronto, la capital económica del país, para participar en una cena a la que asistirán unos 350 empresarios canadienses.
Y el viernes, poco antes de regresar a México, se reunirá en Montreal con algunas de las principales empresas canadienses, como el mayor fabricante de material ferroviario y aéreo del mundo, Bombardier. En Montreal, Calderón también tiene previsto reunirse con el primer ministro de Québec, Jean Charest.
El principal punto de conflicto entre los dos países fue la imposición canadiense en 2009 de visados a los visitantes mexicanos.
Canadá justificó la decisión por el aumento de las peticiones de refugio procedentes de México, pero las autoridades mexicanas criticaron la medida y la forma en que fue anunciada por Ottawa.
En octubre de 2009, durante una visita a Toronto, la ex secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores mexicana Rosario Green dijo que la imposición de visado a los mexicanos había profundizado el bache que las relaciones de los dos países han experimentado desde la llegada al poder de Harper.
A principios de mayo, el principal grupo de la oposición canadiense, el Partido Liberal, dijo que desde la imposición de la exigencia de visado, los viajes que duran más de un día de México a Canadá se han reducido un 60.5 por ciento, la mayor disminución experimentada en el sector turístico canadiense.
Las autoridades mexicanas han señalado que Calderón tiene previsto tratar con Harper posibles soluciones para facilitar la entrada de mexicanos a Canadá, especialmente empresarios, estudiantes y trabajadores temporales.
cg
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