Borders and boundaries in the lives of migrant agricultural workers: Towards a more equitable health services approach.

Abstract

In 2018, over 70% of the 69,775 temporary migrant agricultural labourers arriving in Canada participated in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP). Despite having legal status in Canada, these individuals are often systematically excluded from community life and face barriers when accessing health and social services. SAWP workers’ exclusion from many public spaces and their incomplete access to the benefits of Canadian citizenship or residency provide us a unique opportunity to examine social and political mechanisms that construct (in)eligibility for health and protection in society. As individuals seeking to care for the sick and most marginalized, it is important for nurses to understand how migrant agricultural workers are positioned and imagined in society. We argue that the structural exclusion faced by this population can be uncovered by examining (1) border politics that inscribe inferior status onto migrant agricultural workers (2) nation-state borders that promote racialized surveillance and; (3) everyday normalization of exclusionary public service practices. We discuss how awareness of these contextual factors can be mobilized by nurses to work towards a more equitable health services approach for this population.

Migrant Agricultural Workers’ Health, Safety and Access to Protections: A Descriptive Survey Identifying Structural Gaps and Vulnerabilities in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada

“…A lack of independent transport and isolation is a key barrier for accessing basic amenities and health services [25,33]. Given that workers often rely on employers or supervisors to access services and community supports, including medical care, receiving necessary follow-up medical care and maintaining communication with relevant support services is often difficult [19,34,35].…”

More of the same? Migrant agricultural workers’ health, safety, and legal rights in the COVID-19 context

“…Undermining many workers' ability to stay safe and healthy are justifiable concerns of repatriation or loss of employment that are inherent to their temporary and conditional status as workers in Canada (Hennebry & Williams, 2015;Orkin et al, 2014). Consequently, some workers may avoid seeking care, accept unsafe workplace conditions, or choose to not report a workplace injury in order to not threaten their relationship with their employer (Caxaj, Cohen, Buffam et al, 2020;Caxaj & Cohen, 2019).…”

“…While informal volunteers, churches, and nonprofit services and targeted clinics may provide more appropriate aid to this population, support is often ad hoc, volunteer-run, and/or underfunded. In many regions, these supports are not available at all (Caxaj & Cohen, 2021b;Caxaj, Cohen, Buffam et al, 2020).…”

“…Scholars have long documented migrant agricultural workers' political, economic, and social marginalization in Canadian society. Among the key concerns identified are (1) unique barriers workers face accessing and navigating service systems; (2) work permits specific to one employer and temporary migration status that make it difficult for them to refuse unsafe work, report workplace abuse, and/or assert their rights; and (3) their virtual "deportability" should they become injured or raise concerns about their workplace treatment, living conditions, or basic human rights (Basok et al, 2014;Vosko, 2016Vosko, , 2018Caxaj, Cohen, Buffam et al, 2020;Caxaj, Cohen, & Marsden, 2020;Walia, 2010). Amidst these complex challenges, migrant agricultural workers are typically placed on farms in rural regions with limited ethno-cultural diversity, often resulting in racialized stigma and subtle and overt experiences of discrimination.…”

A Lifeline in troubled waters: A support intervention for migrant farm workers

“…Within the Okanagan Valley of BC, where this study was conducted, prior research indicates that service provision for this population is still in its infancy (Caxaj & Cohen, 2020). And although important investments in programming have been made in recent years, service provision for this group remains time‐limited, patchwork, and largely lacking in evidence to support its implementation (Caxaj et al, 2020a).…”