There are a couple of things they have told us. They want to live as equals, they want decent housing, they want decent wages, they want fair working conditions, and they want to be treated with respect by their employers and by the community and, to the same extent, by the government. It's about providing the resources to ensure that they could prosper and live as equals.
That's what we hear day and day again. They don't want to be treated as disposable or as garbage. They want their skills to be reflected and to be valued for what they are bringing to the table. Farm workers are proud to be farm workers. They are proud to be producers. They are proud to grow our fruits and vegetables, and many of the workers I know will continue to do so if we treat them as equals and stop the system where people are tied to an employer and are denied access to the residency that they deserve.
I heard one of the other colleagues mention that they've been here for 47 years. Why do we exclude and deny other people who have built our society the same benefits as some of us received as immigrants and as first-born Canadians? It's not right, and it's not fair.