Fair Farmwork Forum - Empowering migrant farmworkers through social certification

Co-convened by Anna Triandafyllidou, Chair, CERC Migration, Toronto Metropolitan University; Tanya Basok, Professor, University of Windsor; and Erika Borrelli, Researcher, CERC Migration, and PhD student, University of Windsor. 

Recently, there has been a surge in the discussion of non-state initiatives, such as social certification, to elevate the standards in the agricultural sector and address the precarious labour conditions endured by temporary migrant farmworkers. Over the past two years, we have examined existing social certification initiatives and explored how best to introduce such a program in Canada. Our research has culminated in the development of the Fair Farmwork Toolkit, a comprehensive document intended for stakeholders as a step-by-step guide for the development and implementation of a social certification initiative.

At this meeting, we will invite organizations and individuals representing migrant rights’ and advocacy, food justice and sustainability, growers, retailers, and consumers, agricultural unions, legal experts, occupational health and safety and others, to collaborate and discuss how best to move forward in developing such an initiative aimed at improving the lives and working conditions of migrant farmworkers in Canada.

Our specific goals for this meeting are:  

• To gather and discuss participants’ feedback on the Fair Farmwork Toolkit.
  
• To collect insights from participants on how best to develop a social certification initiative in Ontario and Canada.  
• To identify other key actors or stakeholders to whom we can send this toolkit.

We hope to conclude the meeting with all participants having achieved a positive and productive exchange of ideas, setting the stage for meaningful progress in our shared mission, protecting and empowering migrant farmworkers in Canada’s agricultural sector.

If you would like to attend this event please contact Erika Borrelli at borrelle@uwindsor.ca