Canada’s food system requires urgent reforms, says food workers’ union in new report on migrant agricultural workers
TORONTO, Dec. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UFCW Canada, the country’s leading advocate for agricultural workers for over 30 years, has released its annual report on the Status of Migrant Agricultural Workers in Canada, calling for urgent reforms to Canada’s food system.
Released in conjunction with International Migrants Day on December 18, the report, The Status of Migrant Agricultural Workers in Canada 2025, looks at the current state of migrant agricultural workers in Canada, and calls for all levels of government to implement urgent structural solutions in 2026 to protect the tens of thousands of migrant agricultural workers who are the backbone of Canada’s food system.
The tens of thousands of migrant workers are an integral part of the multi-billion dollar Canadian agricultural industry, sustaining Canada’s national food security, providing crucial labour while working in conditions that has been described as “systematic slavery” by workers.
In September of 2023, UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, raised concerns about Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs, stating that they can foster contemporary forms of slavery. Yet, despite decades of calls for reform, migrant agricultural workers remain among the most precarious workers, excluded from full labour protections, tied to employer-specific permits, and often unable to speak up without risking their jobs or status.
The report demonstrates how Canada is falling short of its international obligations, specific regarding the International Labour Organization’s Decent Work obligations. Closed work permits remain a structural source of exploitation, work permits for vulnerable workers are underutilized, and full labour-market mobility with real pathways to permanent residency is needed.
Unionization remains the most effective protection for migrant agricultural workers, as demonstrated by the recent unionization of mushroom workers in British Columbia. UFCW Canada also calls for sectoral bargaining for the agricultural sector, looking at its proven success in other countries as a way to lift employment standards across the Canada’s food systems.
“What we need now is the political will to embed the principles of decent work in the fields,” says Barry Sawyer, UFCW Canada National President. “We need a real voice for workers, and genuine mobility, safe workplaces, and a stable future in Canada for those who grow our food. As the union for food workers, UFCW Canada stands ready to engage in meaningful social dialogue with governments and employers, to help design and implement the reforms outlined in this report.”
To address the systemic injustices that migrant workers face in Canada’s agricultural sector, the report calls for a bold and comprehensive transformation, one that goes beyond regulator patchwork and focuses on structural solutions rooted in human rights, international labour standards, and worker empowerment.
For more than three decades, UFCW Canada has led the fight for migrant workers’ rights. To learn more about this advocacy and the reforms that are urgently needed, see UFCW Canada's report: The Status of Migrant Agricultural Workers in Canada 2025.
About
UFCW Canada (the United Food and Commercial Workers Union) represents more than 255,000 members across Canada working in every sector of the food industry from field to table. For 30 years, UFCW Canada has been the leading voice of, and advocate for, domestic and migrant agricultural workers.
Contact
Derek Johnstone, UFCW Canada
Phone: 416-679-3417
Email: derek.johnstone@ufcw.ca
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