Report evaluates Canada's implementation of work guidelines set by the International Labour Organization for migrant workers in the agri-food sector and what remains to be done

A new report is providing a comprehensive evaluation of Canada's implementation of the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Decent Work Guidelines in the agri-food sector, with researchers from Dalhousie University, St. Thomas University and McMaster University recommending several ways to better protect migrant workers' rights.

The ILO's guidelines set out key standards on labour rights, employment conditions and social protections across four major themes: rights at work, decent jobs and productive employment, social and labour protection, and tripartite social dialogue.

The study, being released today (Nov. 7) at a labour forum in Leamington, Ont., was based on reviews of more than 200 scholarly reports from 2020 to 2024 and examined how the guidelines are being applied in Alberta, New Brunswick and Ontario, in the meat packing, agriculture and seafood processing sectors. It explores the working conditions for temporary foreign workers (TFWs).

The main findings include:

* Federal and provincial supports, such as Covid-19 relief and labour subsidies, have strengthened agri-food enterprises.

* Persistent challenges: Favouritism toward large agribusinesses, farmland consolidation and weak global labour governance frameworks.

* Unsafe and unhealthy environments: Migrant workers often face inadequate labour protection, dangerous conditions, substandard housing, limited health-care access and fraudulent recruitment practices.