Quebec's bishops: Ombudsman needed to ensure migrants' rights

Published: 2008-04-24

MONTREAL (CNS) -- Quebec's Catholic bishops said the Canadian government should have an independent ombudsman to ensure that migrant workers are treated justly. "If the work of seasonal laborers can help Quebec to keep a competitive edge and protect our Quebec products, we must recognize that this seasonal migration underlines the stark inequalities between rich and poor countries," said the social affairs committee of the Assembly of Quebec Catholic Bishops. "Governments and employers are therefore responsible to ensure that these workers have just living conditions and their basic rights are respected." The arrival in the North each year of migrant workers from the South "reflects the scandal of inequality between rich and poor countries," said the bishops, noting the 4,500 workers who come annually from Mexico and Guatemala to Quebec to work on 350 farms. The seasonal workers are authorized to come to Quebec on the basis of a 1974 Canadian-Mexican agreement that provides Quebec farms with a low-cost labor force and Mexican workers with a seasonal income in Canadian dollars.

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