Important Safety Measures for SAWP Workers

We would like to share important instructions on safety measures to be followed by all workers.

For information on COVID19 emergency planning resources please visit AgSafe by clicking the following link: 

https://agsafebc.ca/tools/emergency-planning-resources/

To access Ag Safe resources in Spanish please click the following link: 

https://agsafebc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-03-27-Safety-Notice-for-Workers-Spanish-AgSafeBC.pdf

To access flyers in Spanish and English made by the Consulate please click the links below: 

Safety Measures (SPANISH) 

Safety Measures (ENGLISH) 

Your cooperation while we navigate through this situation is greatly appreciated and extremely important to safeguard the health of all workers. 

Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program

The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) provides employment in Canada for temporary foreign workers from Mexico. This bilateral agreement fulfills Canada’s seasonal demand for experienced agricultural workers. The program started in 1966 after farmers from Ontario needed workers to meet their seasonal labour demand for the apple harvest. The program has since grown to include 11 other countries in the Caribbean that send workers to assist Canadian farmers in numerous activities in the agricultural sector across nine of Canada’s provinces. Mexico joined the program in 1974, and is now the largest provider of SAWP workers across Canada.

British Columbia (BC) joined SAWP in 2004 and in its first year employed 392 workers for 63 employers. In 2016, the SAWP employed over 5400 workers from Mexico alone for 472 employers in British Columbia. The employers participating within B.C. are distributed across the province producing fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants.

How it works

In order for a farm in British Columbia to request Mexican workers, they must establish that there were no Canadian residents that could fill the position by sending a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). After being approved by Service Canada the LMIAs are used to request workers. The requests are sent to the Mexican Ministry of Labour of Mexico which deals with the recruitment of workers. The workers are flown to Canada after being granted a work permit by the Canadian embassy in Mexico. Workers employed through the program are hired for up to eight months. At the end of the contract the workers return to their place of origin.

Consular protection for workers

Once in Canada, the workers are protected by Canadian laws and covered by medical and employment insurance. Workers also have the option of participating in the Canadian Pension Plan as well as of Paternity and Maternity benefits. The Consulates of Mexico in Canada help survey, review, and administer the program in order to provide consular assistance to the workers in Canada. Through a common effort of improvement the program continues to show benefits for the countries, employers, and employees involved in the program.