Canada's closed work permits for farm workers draw growing criticism

Farm work in 2025

77,000 temporary foreign farm workers

More than 77,000 temporary foreign workers were employed in Canadian agriculture in 2025, over four times as many as 20 years earlier.

A closed permit ties a worker to the employer named on it. Changing employers after abuse is possible on paper but rare in practice.

The Union des producteurs agricoles wants a sector-wide permit; the UN, Amnesty International and the Senate call for an open permit.