In our experience, no, nothing has changed. The structure of the program continues—the tied work permit. This weekend we were dealing with dozens of workers who were repatriated. Many of these workers have gone from a terrible situation to another terrible situation. The fact that we're able to use this program as a revolving door of disposable labour is unacceptable.
Workers continue to live under deplorable conditions. Workers continue to send us pictures of pesticides and chemicals in the workplace. Workers continually tell us about contractors and recruiters who are charging exorbitant fees.
I think it's about removing these hindrances, these unnecessary restrictions on mobility, and ensuring that they have access to EI and to our social safety net as equal workers. We need to recognize that, as I said before, these are rural workers from rural communities in the global south. They have expertise and knowledge to share within our communities. Many of the workers I've known have such a long attachment to the region. Over 80% of workers have a strong attachment to rural Ontario, rural Quebec, rural Alberta or rural British Columbia.
There are two mythologies. The first is that this is of a temporary nature, that it isn't permanent. The second is that workers are simply going to leave and go to an urban setting, particularly when they have lived in rural settings their entire lives here in Canada.