After nearly two years of border controls aimed at curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Auditor General of Canada concludes that the federal government is still struggling to monitor the entry of travelers into the country. As for the standards that must protect temporary foreign agricultural workers, during their quarantines or in the event of an outbreak, the government has not yet been able to ensure that they are adequately respected.
Auditor General Karen Hogan followed up in her most recent reports on various federal measures taken during the pandemic.
In terms of border restrictions, the government of Justin Trudeau has improved, notes the VG, but not enough. “The inability of the Agency [de la santé publique] to be confirmed whether more than a third of travelers comply with quarantine orders remains a significant problem, ”Ms. Hogan said in one of her four reports presented Thursday.
Last year, when returning travelers were all scheduled to quarantine, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) did not know if as many as 66% of them were following these rules. From January to June 2021, that statistic had risen to 37% of travelers, who now had to wait for a negative test result at a government-designated hotel and then complete their quarantine at home.
The registers intended to enable the Agency to list all the people in forced quarantine at the hotel also contained only the names of 25% of these air travelers.
The creation of the ArriveCAN app has allowed the government to monitor travelers more closely. But gaps remain, observes the VG.
Thus, in the spring of 2021, 30% of the results of screening tests on arrival had not been retrieved by PHAC or associated with the traveler concerned. These mandatory tests were not always imposed: 14% of people had not undergone a test before returning to the country and 26% did not undergo one when they arrived.
What’s more, while the Public Health Agency was to closely monitor travelers who tested positive, 14% of them were not contacted by officials.
The federal authorities, on the other hand, referred more cases to be monitored to the local police forces (79% of travelers suspected of not respecting the instructions, against 40% in 2020). But again, the Agency did not follow the outcome of these cases in 59% of “high priority” cases.
Poorly protected temporary workers
Karen Hogan also makes a devastating observation about the federal government’s efforts to ensure that the thousands of temporary foreign workers recruited as reinforcements in the agricultural sector were adequately protected during the pandemic.
Living conditions on farms and other facilities grabbed headlines last year when several outbreaks were reported across the country. The Office of the Auditor General has documented at least three deaths attributable to COVID-19 in agriculture.
And for good reason: its report concludes that the Department of Employment and Social Development did not adequately monitor that employers provide safe quarantine facilities to these workers when they arrive in Canada. The ministry also did not conduct sufficient inspections to verify that infected workers were isolated from their colleagues during outbreaks.
Ottawa had however been warned by the Office of the Auditor General in 2020, the latter being so alarmed after starting its study of the situation. “We expected to see improvements in the ministry’s inspections for the 2021 season,” says the Auditor General. However, the problems we identified in 2020 have persisted and worsened in 2021. ”
Outbreak cases ignored
In a pandemic context, these inspections of housing provided to temporary foreign workers have almost all become virtual. Employers were required to provide photos and workers testified in a remote interview.
However, in 60% of the cases of inspections following an outbreak of COVID-19, the files examined by the VG did not contain the information necessary to verify the state of the premises. No photograph confirming that the patient had a bedroom and a private bathroom, for example. And these inspections detected “possible non-conformities” in 15% of cases. However, the VG did not find anything to prove that additional measures were taken.
In two outbreaks, infected workers continued to live with their colleagues.
The Employment Ministry has also failed to certify that agricultural employers provide adequate quarantine facilities for their workers within 14 days of arrival.
In the majority of inspections assessed by the VG (88%), the compliance of these installations with the rules in force was confirmed despite a lack of evidence to this effect. In one case listed by the VG, the photographs provided by the employer clearly showed that the 2-meter distance was not respected. The installation was nonetheless deemed to comply with federal requirements, without any follow-up.
Many files have also remained inactive for weeks (80%) – well after the end of the quarantine – and this despite some even presenting information suggesting problematic quarantine conditions.
“This means that the ministry has missed opportunities to intervene during the critical period to verify the quarantine conditions and take the necessary measures,” says the auditor Karen Hogan in her report.
“These results reveal the presence, in the inspection regime of the ministry, of a systemic problem which requires immediate attention,” she denounced at a press conference. “It is high time to improve the situation for temporary foreign workers who come to Canada. “
And other problems denounced
The employment ministry was also to verify that a salary was paid to workers during their quarantine. In 2020, in 32% of cases the inspectors had collected no evidence or insufficient evidence to this effect.
Employers, on the other hand, could take advantage of a federal assistance program to cover part of the costs incurred by the redevelopment of their facilities. Given the poor quality of the inspections, the VG does not know if any faulty employers have nevertheless taken advantage of this program.
The record is just as grim when it comes to housing inspections for temporary foreign workers once their quarantine is over – and which was yet to allow some distance. Of the files reviewed by the VG, 94% included little or no information and 84% did not present any photos to document the condition of these dwellings.
And since these inspections must follow those during the quarantine period, in addition to the routine inspections for any agricultural facility, a backlog has been created.
Ottawa promises fixes
The federal government recognizes that the evaluation of the Office of the Auditor General shows that these new rules and protocols inspections, set up in the midst of a pandemic, “posai [en] t obvious problems ”. The Ministry of Employment says it has created a national committee that will propose improvements and ensure their implementation.
Auditor Karen Hogan finally concludes that Ottawa should agree to minimum housing standards for employers recruiting temporary foreign workers, in concert with the provinces, and that compliance with these be a condition of eligibility for the federal program that they require. allows you to hire abroad.