Niagara residents protest for better treatment of migrant workers sustaining local industries

Dozens of men living in one room. No air conditioning on scorching 90-degree days. And no heat in the depths of Canadian winters. There is often only a single bathroom and zero privacy.

These are the living conditions many migrant workers are subjected to across Canada—the same workers that ensure Canadians have fruit and vegetables on their dinner table and wine to drink on an evening out.

On September 20, a new movement drew attention to harmful government inaction on everything from climate change to social justice issues: Draw the Line in Niagara Falls brought hundreds of protestors to the Niagara Falls Convention Centre. 

They gathered to remind Prime Minister Mark Carney that he has the power to enact policies for migrant workers who come to the region every year so Canadian families can eat.

With the new government's focus on reducing immigration numbers to what the Liberals have described as “sustainable levels” many migrant workers are worried their future in Canada is in jeopardy.

Kit Andres, a long time organizer with the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC), told the crowd that, “politicians blame migrants to distract the public from the corporate greed of the housing profiteers. Migrants are exploited and excluded from equal rights.

“We demand permanent resident status for all migrants so that they can speak up, be protected and be there for their families.”

A long-time migrant worker and member of the MWAC who wished not to be identified, sent a taped message to the crowd that was translated to English by another worker. The individual could not attend the rally because he was too busy working at a vineyard so it would be ready for this past weekend’s Grape and Wine Festival.

“I am a migrant worker who has been coming to Canada for 22 years and spends eight months a year here because I wanted to provide a better life for my family,” the translated message began.  “Never did I imagine I would find a form of modern slavery. During my first years in Canada, houses were severely overcrowded…and many still are.

“We did not have washers and dryers to wash our clothes so we had to do them by hand and hang them to dry.

“It was very difficult when it was raining or snowing when we didn’t have any clean clothes to wear and we didn’t have time to wash our clothes at the end of the day after working 12 to 16 hours.

“On top of harsh living conditions we also face discrimination. We are often humiliated by our bosses and supervisors, but we must stay quiet because we are afraid we will get sent back home and not be called back again and will lose our livelihood.”

The worker shared how contracts are not always respected and bosses take advantage of language barriers to exploit workers. 

“It feels like we don’t even have the right to get sick, to rest….and to just be human,” the worker shared. 

The deplorable conditions of migrant workers in Canada have even been acknowledged by the United Nations (UN). The UN Special Rapporteur, Tomoya Obokata, concluded in a 2023 report that Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers Programme (TFWP) was a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.”

Migrant workers in Niagara’s wine industry have faced exploitation for years. Protestors rallied earlier this month at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre to raise awareness about their plight.

(Carolynn Ioannoni/The Pointer)

A Government of Canada report in 2024 by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, entitled Act Now, included solutions for eliminating many of the struggles faced by temporary and migrant labourers in Canada.

The report included submissions from migrant workers that detailed fear of mistreatment and abuse.

“Migrant workers contribute to the economy. We grow, and feed the whole country and yet we are discriminated against and blamed for many of Canada’s issues,” the unnamed worker shared during the rally. “Without migrant workers, Canadians would not have vegetables, fruits or even wine. We feed Canadians.

“We make lots of money for our employers while living in deplorable conditions, away from our families, with no real access to health care and completely dependent on our bosses.”

As part of the Draw the Line movement, organizers are requesting the federal government extend full immigration status for all migrant workers.

“Corporate elites scapegoat migrants to hide the real culprits: landlords, grocery monopolies, and bank CEOs profiting off our misery. Anti-migrant policies now threaten 1.2 million people with permit cancellation and deportation in 2025,” the Draw the Line website highlights. 

The Senate Committee report previously recognized the need to provide better protections, both on the work site, and for their status here in Canada. 

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau previously promised a regularization program for undocumented migrants and permanent residency for migrant workers. That was in December 2021. The immigration minister at the time, Marc Miller, promised a decision would be forthcoming, but four years later, it still has not happened.

A poll released this week by Angus Reid found 52 percent of Canadians have a negative view of the temporary foreign workers program, with many believing unsubstantiated claims that it and large-scale immigration are responsible for the housing crisis and taking jobs from young people. 

In Niagara, the program is critical to the success of the wine industry, one of the region’s largest tourism draws and economic sectors. A 2019 analysis estimated the industry contributes $1 billion to Canada’s GDP annually. 

The impacts of devaluing this crucial workforce are already being seen south of the border, since President Donald Trump began a dramatic increase in immigration enforcement. 

An August 2025 analysis found that between March and July, the agricultural industry saw a drop of approximately 155,000 workers, compared to a 2.2 percent increase over the same period the year prior. The study concluded it was too early to draw conclusions on the economic impact this could have, but pointed out that the cost of some meats and vegetables rose by a similar rate during that time. 

“As mass deportation enforcement actions continue and more data is reported, the broader impacts of Trump’s campaign of mass deportation will become clearer. For now, the early warning signs show a growing labor shortage, rising prices, terrified employees, and employers left in the lurch without any tools to ensure workforce stability,” a press release from the American Immigration Council explains. “Should these operations continue unabated over the next three and a half years, the situation could become far worse for the nation as a whole.”

Prime Minister Carney has released very little about his plans to reform Canada’s temporary foreign worker system aside from acknowledging that changes are required so it has a more “focused approach” that targets specific sectors and regions. 

“So we’re working on that, setting those goals, adjusting, and working to ease the strain on housing, public infrastructure and our social services while we build a strong economy,” he said in a speech on September 10.

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