From September 4th to October 3rd, migrant farmworkers are marching and caravanning across Ontario from Windsor to Ottawa, marking the 50th anniversary of Canada's "temporary" migrant farmworker programs. The caravan is raising awareness among Canadians about how our food system relies on their precarious and underpaid labour, and call on the federal government to offer them permanent residence status and to respect their labour rights.
The caravan has a wide array of activities planned, from film screenings, to marches, to community suppers and gatherings, to leafleting at local farmers' markets. Its schedule is:
- September 4: Leamington
- September 5-6: Windsor
- September 7: Chatham
- September 8: Blenheim
- September 9-10: London
- September 11: Tillsonburg
- September 14: Brantford
- September 14: Six Nations
- September 15: Lynden
- September 16: Simcoe
- September 17: Woodstock
- September 17-19: Guelph
- September 19-20: Kitchener-Waterloo
- September 21: St. Catharines
- September 22: Beamsville
- September 23: Hamilton
- September 24: St. Catharines
- September 25: Toronto
- September 26: Durham
- September 27: Cobourg
- September 28-29: Kingston
- October 1-3: Ottawa
You can participate and help by:
- attending a local event
- spreading the word and inviting others to attend and learn more about the issue
- volunteering at a local event and/or billeting caravan members
- co-sponsoring a local event (for community groups, faith groups, or union locals)
- signing the campaign petition
- donating to Justicia for Migrant Workers
Inter Pares is proud to be supporting the caravan through funds, publicity, and logistic support to the Ottawa events. We are also co-organizing an event at the Food Secure Canada assembly that will bring migrant farmworkers and their advocates together with farmers and food justice activists, later in October after the caravan ends, to help build stronger connections between these two important social movements.
