The BC Medical Journal published a blog post this week on migrant farmworkers, health equity and structural violence written by an alumna of our group, Anelyse Weiler, and two of her colleagues. As noted by Anelyse, while it focuses mainly on doctors in BC, it may be of interest to anyone focused on food justice and following the Harvesting Freedom campaign for the 50th anniversary of Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. The original post can be found here, and this is an excerpt from the post:
“Felipe (a pseudonym), a 28-year-old man from southern Mexico, is one of approximately 8600 migrant farmworkers living throughout BC. He and other migrant farmworkers are engaged in one of the province’s most dangerous, least regulated, and lowest paid occupations. The majority are men and most are from Mexico or Jamaica, but an increasing number come from other countries. Even though they make tremendous cultural, social, and economic contributions to Canadian society, migrant farmworkers often experience disproportionately adverse health outcomes because they are excluded from many of the rights and protections that citizens and permanent residents enjoy.
Migrant farmworkers are legally entitled to health care—they must be covered either by MSP or private insurance. But Felipe’s story shows how a fear of job termination and deportation generates unique barriers to health for migrant farmworkers. Furthermore, workers are often dependent on employers for transportation from remote rural areas and help to navigate the Canadian medical system.
BC physicians can play a critical role in reducing the gaps in health care for migrant members of our communities, both through everyday clinical practice and advocacy.”
Continue reading here.