Introduction
In the story “The Invisibles: Migrant Workers in Canada” the author focuses on the plight of migrant workers in the country and how they are at the receiving end of adverse labor practices (i.e. being paid far less than the average Canadian citizen for the same type of job) as well as being subject to instances of abuse (sometimes leading to death) due to the nature of their work contracts and the fact that they are not subject to the same legal protections that Canadian citizens are entitled to.
First and foremost, it is important to examine the nature of migrant workers in the case of Canada and how it results is the aforementioned adverse practices. Based on the work of Choudry and Henaway, it was noted that as countries move from being considered a “developing country” to a “developed and industrialized state”, changes occur within its societal framework resulting in an internal employment shift.
This can be referred to as the state wherein people increasingly want to pursue white-collar careers (i.e. desk jobs for corporations) over blue-collar methods of employment (i.e. jobs where physical labor is necessary) (Choudry and Henaway 36). This particular shift is further enabled by the proliferation of government education programs which lowers the likelihood of people being categorized as “low skilled workers” as more students enter college and get their degrees.
The inherent problem with such a state is that it creates a “gap” in employment so to speak wherein there is a distinct lack of low skilled and semi-skilled workers for particular jobs in Canada (ex: service jobs, factory jobs, construction, drilling, maintenance, farming, etc.). It is due to this that countries such as Canada bring in migrant workers in order to support the industries that lack workers due to the shift in the type of employment that ordinary Canadian citizens think they “deserve” (Choudry and Henaway 40).
In light of migrant workers being essential to various industries within Canada, the fact remains that they are subject to the following faces of oppression exploitation, marginalization, and powerlessness by virtue of the fact that they are not born Canadian.
Faces of Oppression
Exploitation in the case of migrant workers in Canada comes in the form of businesses paying the workers a lower salary (sometimes 15% or even less) as compared to what would normally be paid for a Canadian placed in a similar job. Other faces of exploitation come in the form of dangerous working conditions, a lack of proper safety standards in the workplace, absurdly long hours and a distinct lack of benefits.
The reason behind why migrant workers continue to work in such jobs despite the obvious levels of exploitation that is occurring to them is due to the fact that, despite the low pay, these jobs often pay more than what they would normally receive in their home countries. For instance, in the article “The Invisibles: Migrant Workers in Canada” it was seen that a prominent liberal party member actually abused the caregivers she got from the Philippines and had them do work that was outside of their job specifications.
However, instead of leaving, the caregivers continued to stay and work for their employer. The reason behind their behavior was connected to the family that they had left behind in the Philippines that they supported by remitting their earnings back to the country (Singh 28).
Simply put, they most likely would have left if not for the fact that this would have resulted in no money being remitted. When examining this particular case, it is immediately evident that the source of the problem is the lack of sufficient rights to protect migrant workers and the political will necessary to support such legislation.
From the perspective of Maxwell, social justice includes addressing its root causes with one of the methods being connected to policy changes in the government (Preibisch and Otero 174). However, further examination of the issue reveals that exploitation does not begin in the workplace for migrant workers, rather, it starts in recruitment stage wherein potential migrant workers trying to get into Canada sometimes have to pay $3,500 to $15,000 to recruiters just so that they can get a low paying job in the country.
It is important to note that $3,500 is often the average salary that an office worker can get for one year in countries like the Philippines (Preibisch and Otero 174). As such, low skilled workers often have to take out loans from informal lenders in the country just so that they can get a low paying job in Canada.
From start to finish (i.e. from the moment they apply to a job to the time that they get it) they are subject to an assortment of exploitative practices which often places them in an unfortunate state where they are unable to leave a job that they are being exploited in since they have to pay for the massive loan that they took out in order to have the job that they are in.
When looking at this case from the perspective of Maxwell’s social justice initiative, it can be stated that greater levels of government intervention are necessary to ensure that workers are treated fairly both at the beginning of the process of recruitment and once they actually have the job (Preibisch and Otero 174).
One potential method in which the aforementioned issues can be addressed is if a means of independent means of job entry can be created in order to get around the various recruitment agencies that exploit migrant workers. Powerlessness for migrant workers comes in the form of a lack of substantial government support for their position (Singh 28).
What must be understood is that a migrant worker, they are not subject to the same laws that they normally would be if they were back in their home country. As a result, they have to rely on the policy initiatives that have already been put in place in Canada which is woefully underutilized. What inevitably happens is that some migrant workers have no choice but to conform to the wishes of their employers which often becomes abusive in the long run.
CBAE Program
Based on what has been presented so far, it can be seen that the necessary CBAE program, in this case, comes in the form of creating a means for protecting migrant workers from abuse both from their employers and the means by which they are brought into the country.
Policy Creation
The first aspect of the CBAE programs comes in the form of policy changes in the government wherein rights pertaining to the working environment, salaries and assigned tasks for migrant workers are created. This piece of legislation focuses on ensuring that there are laws in place to ensure that workers are protected, which would encourage them to come to Canada in the first place.
What must be understood is that the longer the current situation continues, the more likely that this would discourage migrant workers from entering into the country. The result is that this could adversely impact Canada’s economy, given the level of dependence small to medium-sized enterprises have on migrant labor.
One way in which the indicated policy creation can be brought about would be through a grassroots campaign wherein business owners, and local citizens would send petitions, organize group movements as well as all members of their local government to support the creation of new legislation emphasizing the need to protect migrant workers.
Enacting People Based Change
Aside from enacting policy changes within the government, another aspect of the proposed CBAE program comes in the form of Maxwell’s social justice initiative wherein people based changed is enacted on a local level. What must be understood is that one of the root cause behind the adverse treatment heaped on migrant workers is the general attitude local citizens have towards them.
A form of marginalization occurs wherein they are treated as second class citizens, whether through overt or subvert actions, which results in the aforementioned abuse occurring. What is needed is an information campaign which focuses on showcasing the heinous way that some people treat migrant workers and indicating that this form of behavior is not only immoral but unethical since migrant workers are people too.
This information campaign can be accomplished via social media viral videos, local advertising on various channels and radio stations as well as smaller campaigns that take place in schools and campuses around Canada. The idea is that by showcasing how immoral such activities are, people would thus avoid doing them which would result in better long term conditions for the workers.
Enacting Business Policy Changes
Another aspect of the proposed CBAE programs focuses on enacting business changes in the way in which businesses bring in migrant labor. As explained in the section involving the faces of oppression, of the inherent problems experienced by migrant laborers are the high fees that they must pay to recruiters to get a minimum wage job in Canada. This places a considerable level of pressure for migrant workers to remain in their jobs even if they are blatantly being abused by their employers.
It is under this context that changes need to be implemented wherein a government-sponsored business portal can be created to circumvent the various recruiters that are overcharging workers for entry into Canada.
Partnerships can also be created between government agencies such as the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Agency) wherein a more streamlined method can be implemented that would connect employers with potential employees without going through the hassle of dealing with recruiters that charge exorbitant amounts.
Conclusion
Overall it can be expected that if the various recommendations that have been outlining in this program can be implemented, this would result in better outcomes for migrant workers within the country which would create a positive result in Canada’s local economy.
Works Cited
Choudry, Aziz, and Mostafa Henaway. “Agents Of Misfortune: Contextualizing Migrant And Immigrant Workers’ Struggles Against Temporary Labor Recruitment Agencies.” Labor, Capital & Society 45.1 (2012): 36-65. Print
Preibisch, Kerry, and Gerardo Otero. “Does Citizenship Status Matter In Canadian Agriculture? Workplace Health And Safety For Migrant And Immigrant Laborers.” Rural Sociology 79.2 (2014): 174. Print
Singh, Sandhya. “Temporary Workers Permanent Problems.” Herizons 27.2 (2013): 28. Print