Canada News: UNO's suggestions to improve the poor condition of migrant workers in Canada, these recommendations made for the Canadian government

To improve the situation of migrant workers in Canada, the United Nations-Special Rapporteur (22-page report from July 22, 2024) is making the following recommendations to the Government of Canada:

(a) Abolish the use of closed work permit systems and give all workers the right to choose and change their employers in any sector without restriction or discrimination.

(b) ensuring that all migrant workers have a clear path to permanent residence from the moment they arrive in the country and are able to benefit from federally funded settlement services and other public services without discrimination;

(c) Regulating workers who have lost status, particularly workers who have been victims of contemporary slavery;

(d) implement international human rights obligations, national human rights standards and provincial and territorial standards on labor rights, occupational health and safety, unionization, health care and housing for migrant workers without discrimination;

(e) by mandating or creating a single coordinating body with full monitoring of the rights and conditions of migrant workers and by ensuring that all federal, provincial, territorial and municipal actors are regularly vigilant and sensitive to their responsibilities; Eliminate inter-jurisdictional neglect by;

(f) To provide equal access to adequate housing without discrimination, in accordance with the National Housing Strategy Act.

The Government of Canada recommends ensuring that all migrant workers have equal access to health care from the time of their arrival without discrimination or inter-jurisdictional disparities, including:

(a) extending federal health coverage during the waiting period for provincial and territorial coverage, rather than relying on employers to provide private insurance;

(b) Eliminate barriers to health care for migrant workers, including lack of transportation and medical interpretation.

Recommends that the Government of Canada ensure that all migrant workers are able to effectively report abuse and receive protections, including:

Providing all migrant workers with adequate information about their rights and entitlements, including access to grievance mechanisms, before and after arrival, in languages ​​they understand;

Provide pre-arrival and post-arrival language training for all migrants Create a point of contact for migrant workers to report all forms of abuse, including labor, housing and health-care issues;

Streamlining the process for workers to obtain open work permits for vulnerable workers and making permits more easily renewable, as an interim measure, pending their conversion from closed work permits.

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government of Canada allocate adequate resources and strengthen the labor inspection system to:

Ensuring that the regime covers all industries, including home care, the recreational cannabis sector and all aspects of employers' responsibilities;

using unannounced inspections as a default approach; Ensuring that inspections cover all aspects of migrant workers' rights and employers' responsibilities, including access to health care, provision of accurate information and monitoring of third-party recruiters; 18 GE.24-12702 A/HRC/57/46/Add.1

Actively involve diplomatic representation of migrants' home countries, workers' organizations and civil society organizations in conducting labor inspections.