Immigration and Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program in Canada

In addition, the program also stipulates a maximum period of Eight months (8) within a calendar year with which the TFW’s from the participating countries can stay and work in Canada (Silverman & Hari, 2016). Precisely, in Canada, the SAWP applies to workers who are citizens of Mexico and other Caribbean countries of Jamaica, Dominica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, to mention a few. In the same fashion, employers wishing to participate in SAWP need to ensure hiring from Mexico and participating Caribbean countries, their production has to be within specific commodity sector(s), and products related to primary agriculture. The participating governments, on the other hand, ensure the selected TFWs are at least eighteen years of age, have experience in farming, and satisfy Canadian immigration laws an workers’ laws at home country (Marshall, 2015).

The program involves immigrant groups to Canada, brings about multiculturalism, issues of identity and ethnicity, exploitation, and this paper will focus on the impacts the program has had to Canada in relation Mexicans and Jamaicans and compare the program with the Provincial Nominee Program. SAWP and Multiculturalism in Canada The movement of the Caribbean citizens to Canada, more so the Jamaicans and Mexicans brought about ethnic pluralism with a common focus on harnessing skills to advance agriculture. Historically and in context, the Caribbean community lacked homogeneity with class distinctions cutting across regional and geographic divides. That is, the influx of the Caribbean community to Canada was not only a product of value exchange, but resulted in identity divisions from the islands with different European individual histories, language, social class and religion.

For instance, while Jamaicans generally spoke English, Mexicans and other workers from say Dominican Republic spoke Spanish, leading to the establishment of Caribbean-Canadians official mother tongue spoken by over 94 % of the population; an advancement of multiculturalism prospects in Canada. Comparatively, Caribbean-Canadians gained much of cultural transfer such as the incorporation of Caribbean-Canadians mother tongue, the creation and implementation of transition programs aimed at mitigating social and class disparities for the minority groups, and other legal measures to counter prejudice within the Canadian societies. For instance, Jamaicans had to forfeit the geographically-based clamour of their national identity characterised by their cuisine, architecture, history, music, to mention a few. Mexicans, on the other hand, had to do away with preferred family and work routines to fit into the program.

In context, towards the end of 1970s a significant 72% of immigrants of Jamaican ancestry and 68% of immigrants of Mexican ancestry living in Canada confessed to a strong sense of belonging in Canada, but with great connection with their respective cultural groups (Rumbaut, 2015). In other findings, the study by Rumbaut found that 80% of Jamaicans and 74% of Mexicans highly rated the importance of their ancestry regardless of the generations born in Canada. In other words, apart from the occupation risks and hazards that necessitated acculturation, the majority of the immigrants felt the connection with their cultures back in the home land. These, coupled with unregulated basic pay in some provinces led to cultural dissonance coupled with the increased tension due the national government’s relentlessness to establish and implement institutionalization of labour laws and policies concerning immigrants.

In other words, despite the efforts of the legal issues raised in Canadian Courts to address the plight of immigrant workers, Jamaicans and Mexicans still feel out of place in some provinces such as Alberta, and so is their identity and ethnicity. Apparently, despite a large population of Jamaican and Mexicans feeling the ethnic and identity connections with Canada, they chose to maintain their ancestries, which they give significant importance. In addition, the fact that Canada recognizes a majority of Caribbean festivities and celebrations, immigrants are bound to experience cultural dissonance out of “cultural and geographical restriction” as the festivities celebrated in Canada do not follow Caribbean calendar. This also explains the significant population still attached to their ethnic and cultural identities back at home (Vosko, 2016).

Ostensibly, the government should continue to employ a combination of SAWP and PNP to migrate workers into the country with the focus of improving the national economic and social statuses taking the centre stage. Allowing more immigrants into the country for work will foster the aspects of multiculturalism while bolstering the economic wellbeing of the country at large. As a matter of fact, the goal of the programs is and was not to change the identity and ethnicity of Jamaicans and Mexicans, but to help solve long and short-term economic deficiencies, but acculturation would work fine considering the migrants are happy and the government’s championing of multiculturalism policies prove futile in the long-run. References Aversa, T.  Crisis of Control: Occupational Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) and the Agricultural Stream of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP)(Doctoral dissertation).