In a decision rendered on September 13, the Superior Court of Quebec authorized the Association for the Rights of House and Farm Workers to bring a class action against the federal government, to have closed work permits declared contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Holders of a closed permit are tied to a given employer for the duration of their contract. The class action application demands that this type of permit be recognized as unconstitutional because it places migrant workers in a vulnerable situation. It also seeks compensation for all temporary foreign workers who have had a closed permit since 1982, the year the Charter came into force.
Read “Association goes to court to end closed permits”