Visits to guarantee the welfare of Mexican agricultural workers in Ontario

The Mexican Consulate continued with its program of visits to agricultural establishments participating in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP). Farms were visited in Newcastle and Pickering in Ontario, where the consular representatives spoke with Mexican labourers about their labour rights, working conditions and access to social security. In addition, preventative protection measures were implemented. Mexican seasonal agricultural workers are essential in the Canadian agricultural supply chain and food security. The agreement for the SAWP was signed in 1974 between Mexico and Canada, and it has involved the temporary mobilization of almost 450,000 Mexican labourers to Canadian territory. Consul General Porfirio Thierry Muñoz Ledo paid a visit to a community vaccination centre on August 15 that is open to all foreign nationals, regardless of their immigration status. Mexicans in the Greater Toronto Area have taken advantage of the initiative of Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão to facilitate access to the free Ontario vaccination program, with support from the Latin American COVID-19 Task Force.