Temporary foreign workers in agriculture are unfamiliar with the country’s healthcare system, and a majority fear losing their job due to a health problem. Many also decide not to access care for fear of asking their employer.
At least that’s what the participants in an unprecedented large-scale study of the determinants of health of these people from elsewhere declared.
Months of data collection, six research collaborators in 13 regions of Quebec, 130 questions and 200 respondents from five countries, often very hard to reach. That’s all it took Véronique Tessier to carry out this research project with temporary agricultural workers in Quebec.
Carried out as part of her master’s degree, led by Professor Daniele Bélanger at Laval University, the investigation sheds light on almost undocumented aspects of the lives of these workers, who are more and more likely to remain longer and longer.
“There is clearly an issue of collecting information, of access to the vulnerable population, which explains why few studies have been done”, notes the researcher.
She points to the obstacles to simply sending a $20 gift certificate for groceries, promised in exchange for participation, a common practice for this type of research. “If we sent it by post, many didn’t even know their address. We also had postage returns for several addresses, which means that [les travailleurs] just can’t be reached,” she noted with surprise.
“It’s as if they are not yet full people for governments, municipalities, institutions and employers,” she describes as the conversation progresses.
It is among other things thanks to her hat as coordinator of the Quebec office associated with the Network of assistance to migrant agricultural workers of Quebec that she had access to so many workers. But it is in a scientific and academic role that it undertook this considerable task, with the help of funding from the PARTEMP project.
We learn in particular that 92% of workers surveyed would consider the option of permanent residence, if they could access it. While a tiny minority actually has access to French classes, 98% of respondents said they were interested “in attending language classes for [leur] current contract,” according to the wording of the question.
To the question “How would you describe your state of knowledge of the health care system in Canada?” 55% answered “poor” and 24% “average”.
In addition, “there is a real concern about losing the job opportunity here”, underlines the researcher, who asked this question directly in the survey. 68% of workers said they feared losing their job due to a health problem.
About a quarter of workers say they needed health care in the 12 months preceding the survey. Of these, a third did not have access. The number 1 reason given by those who did not go to the doctor? “Fear of asking the employer or refusal of the employer,” the research team recorded.
All temporary workers in agriculture, regardless of their country of origin, entered Québec with a closed permit, that is to say one linked exclusively to an employer. Their right to reside and work in the territory therefore depends solely on this employment relationship.
“Their body is their main working tool,” recalls the researcher.
“Several also recounted self-medication behaviors. […] Most will arrive with a medicine kit that even contains antibiotics or will consult doctors remotely in their country of origin,” explains Véronique Tessier.
Paradoxical isolation
“The study has also shown that things are going well, with some downsides,” she nevertheless insists. The majority of workers, for example, had in their possession both their Quebec health insurance card and that of the complementary private insurer. Others reported that their mental health is better than in their country of origin, in particular thanks to the feeling of security and the economic stability provided by their job in Quebec.
From the perspective of social isolation, however, the picture is much less rosy. “They told us that no one had taken the time to ask them these questions,” says the researcher. Workers approached in person in Saint-Rémi reported that it was the first time that they had been questioned in the public space.
In total, 54% “never”, “rarely” or “sometimes” have someone in Quebec to listen to them when they need to talk. A similar proportion does not necessarily find someone to spend leisure or relaxation time with.
It is a paradoxical isolation, because many live in the promiscuity of shared rooms, even bunk beds which are slow to be replaced.
Nearly a third also claim not to have the freedom to receive visitors if they wish, an aspect that contravenes the right to privacy. “Some workers didn’t even understand the question, because it never occurred to them to invite someone,” says Ms.me Tessier.
Several studies have shown that work is riskier in agriculture than in other sectors. “But beyond these risks at work, the living conditions of temporary foreign workers also create other risks. That’s why we were interested in other determinants of health,” explains the young woman.
The only survey of comparable size was in 2013, and it hadn’t asked questions on such broad topics. The survey nevertheless noted that 30% of responding employers “have the impression that temporary migrant workers do not declare all their health problems”.
At the time, just over a third of employers also said they were “repatriating” a worker to their country before the end of their contract, in particular for health problems, which represent 23% of all repatriations reported by employers in this survey.