A representative for Amnesty International Canada says the country isn’t doing enough to stop the exploitation of temporary foreign workers brought in on visas that keep them tied to one employer.
Ketty Nivyabandi, the group's English section secretary-general, says being at the mercy of one employer allows migrant workers to be exploited to live in overcrowded, unsanitary housing conditions, work in unsafe environments and face emotional abuse.
Amnesty International put out a report in January that said Canadian authorities have been aware of abuses in the system for decades but failed to make systemic policy changes or abolish closed work permits.
It said the visas were the most evident root cause of migrant workers’ labour exploitation and discrimination and called on the Canadian government to grant open work permits so migrants can change employers and jobs.
A report by a U.N. special rapporteur last August said the temporary foreign worker program in Canada "serves as a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery."
At an online event hosted by British Columbia's human rights commissioner on Thursday, Nivyabandi said changes Canada has made to the program have been too piecemeal, narrow and not systemic enough.
"We haven't seen any sufficient steps that would really mirror the magnitude of what we have reported, the magnitude of what the special rapporteur has reported, and the magnitude of what migrant workers themselves have reported for years," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025
Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
