The federal Green platform says the party wants to completely eliminate the Foreign Worker Program if elected.
More specifically, at the National Agriculture Leaders' Debate on Sept 24, Manitoba Green candidate Kate Storey said the program was "modern-day slavery."
Although Storey has since apologized, local farmers are concerned about the comments made.
"I was absolutely horrified, to tell you the truth," says Larry Lutz, a farmer and head of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association.
Lutz has a fruit farm in the Annapolis Valley that employs about 12-15 foreign workers every summer and fall.
"The program has been in place since back in the 60s. In our industry we couldn't get by without the program," he tells NEWS 95.7's The Todd Veinotte Show.
He says most of them are only here for a few weeks, which is the reason the farm can't find Nova Scotians to take the jobs.
"We have a fairly short harvest window, which is six to eight weeks in the fall," Lutz explains. "As a society we don't suggest that our kids get involved in an industry where they only get six weeks work a year. You want to work year-round."
Lutz says many people think the reason Canadians aren't working the jobs is because of low pay, but really it comes down to labour supply.
"The beauty of this program is it takes people from these countries who are under-employed, and they can come work for us for a short period of time," he says. "Which creates employment for them and allows them to send money back home to their families."
One of Storey's comments during the debate was that foreign workers lack health care, but Lutz says that's not true.
"It's funded through the Jamaican government. They each have a card which gives them free health care, free emergency dental services at any of the hospitals," he explains.
Lutz says all his workers are happy to be in Canada, and some even wish to immigrate.
"Some of these guys come work for me for seven to eight months a year and they'd like to bring their families here," he says.
The Green Party platform says with their elimination of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, they would push for easier paths to immigration.
But Lutz says his workers couldn't immigrate here because they don't work year-round.
"I have to guarantee them 12 months of work for I think three to five years if I were to sponsor them," he says.
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