Ag minister Bibeau announced funding to help employers comply with isolation protocols for temporary foreign workers
By Jackie Clark
Staff Writer
Farms.com
The federal government has announced one-time payments to help farmers who employ foreign workers cover additional costs incurred through adherence to isolation protocol. The isolation period will help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I’m happy to announce $50 million to help farmers, food, and feed processing employers put in place the measurements necessary to follow the mandatory 14-day isolation period required of all workers arriving from abroad,” Marie-Claude Bibeau, the federal minister of agriculture and agri-food, announced in a press conference today.
“We recognize that meeting these isolation rules comes with a cost for businesses. That is why today I’m pleased to announce that the new federal support provides employers with $1,500 per worker to help put in place the measures necessary to comply with the strict public health requirements,” she said.
Employers must provide these employees with two weeks of pay. Farmers may also incur additional costs to provide food and housing in a way that allows for proper isolation of employees who have recently arrived.
The total amount of allocated funding is based on the number of workers expected to arrive this spring. “If we have to increase the amount, this is definitely something we will do,” Bibeau added.
The payment will be retroactive to workers who arrived after March 25, when the emergency order under the Quarantine Act made 14-day isolation mandatory for all people entering Canada. The funding will be available for as long as the Quarantine Act is enforced, Bibeau said.
“The rules of the mandatory isolation period have been clearly defined and distributed to the employers, who themselves are committed to protecting the health of their communities and their workers,” said an April 13 statement from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Workers will meet with health officials before they leave their home countries. Workers will receive information, in the appropriate language, on COVID-19 and protocol for arrival and isolation in the appropriate language. They will also be given masks to travel, Bibeau explained.
“Government authorities will follow up regularly, and employers or workers who do not comply will face severe sanctions and fines,” she added. “Supervision will be done in three different ways, through the immigration and refugee department, through the labour department, and through the local public health department as well.”
Employers who do not comply risk having their rights to hire temporary foreign workers revoked in coming years.
“I think we can trust that employers care for the health of their community, they care for their workers, they want to have healthy workers and they will put in place what is needed to be sure that in two weeks these people will be in good health ready to work,” said Bibeau.
The federal government is still working out details of mechanism.
“We will get in touch with (farmers) either through their local organizations or through the information we have with Immigration Canada. … It’s a matter of days to give more details on the mechanism itself and a matter of weeks to make sure (farmers) can get the money,” Bibeau explained.
The government is also encouraging Canadians to look for opportunities to fill labour needs.
“We are receiving different recommendations around trying to put in place some incentives for Canadians to work in the ag sector. We are considering all these recommendations right now,” Bibeau said.
“The men and women who work in our food supply chain are essential to ensuring Canadians have access to a variety of high-quality foods at a reasonable price,” she added. “Step by step, we are giving our farmers and food processors the tools they need to continue their vital work. We will be there to support them throughout this difficult period.”