Support For the Rights of Temporary Foreign Workers - SNJM Québec

As part of Canada’s Universal Periodic Review, a process led by the United Nations, several recommendations were made to Canada concerning human trafficking. These are presented in an interesting article in the latest edition of the newsletter (in French only) of the Comité d’action contre la traite humaine interne et internationale (CATHII) — (Action Committee against internal and international human trafficking).

These recommendations include:

“Combat the exploitation of migrants
Ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
Strengthen measures to protect the rights of temporary foreign workers
Improve access to justice for victims of trafficking and increase assistance
Establish a centralized system for collecting data on cases of trafficking, including greater attention to indigenous children and women”.

Another article reports on Canada’s presentation of its 10th report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to human rights bodies in Geneva. This document lists the ways in which federal, provincial and territorial authorities are implementing the Convention. It also unveils the UN committee’s recommendations, including “better coordination between organizations and attention to aboriginal women.”

The CATHII newsletter features a time capsule, marking the 20th anniversary of this organization founded by Religious Congregations of women in Quebec. Recent activities include the February 8 Mass in honor of Saint Josephine Bakhita, and participation in the Alliance to End Human Trafficking (AEHT) conference on human trafficking prevention in Baltimore. This event provided an opportunity to learn more about the many aspects of human trafficking and to strengthen ties with our network of partners.

The subject of temporary workers was tackled from a different angle, this time looking at the 509% increase in the number of staffing companies between 2020 and 2025. Options such as reducing the number of such agencies and imposing control measures to enforce the rights of migrant workers were alluded to.