Former Jamaican Farm Worker Speak Out on Harsh Conditions at Some Farms in Canada | TVJ All Angles 

It is worst in Jamaica , check out intown supersave black river st Elizabeth Jamaica.

I think the Jamaican liaison , is getting paid off by the owner of the farm. I am thinking that's the reason why there is no representation for the workers. And that's despicable , dishonest and cruel.. I wonder how the liaisons sleeps at nights. Knowing that they selling out their own people , just for a fist full of dollars. And then on top of it the Canadian people, are always appalled of the racism in America. When it is happening right under their noses , such hypocrisy and deceitfulness. Even though i don't condone racism , nor will stand for it in shape or form. I am so saddened of the terrible conditions that, these men have to work under. May God mercy on them and bring deliverance for these men.

@@caswellreid893 really? Are they locals or foreigners?

@@caswellreid893 please explain what you mean by because I don’t want to misinterpret you,because of how you wrote it

@@sandrajackson6539 definitely they’re getting paid,but how much does they give them

I believe every word he’s saying, he’s very unbiased

The Minister needs to hold a forum with farm workers to hear their grouses.

So true

Call vice or rebel news

What will they achieve doing so who cares go make money on put it to good use that's it we all slave one way or another

We will continue to suffer until we start to unite

This is enough motivation for African descent Jamaicans to promote a stable two children family and proper education so Jamaicans can home here to Canada as skilled trades people and educated professionals. These groups can easily get Permanent Residency like me. Farm work is slavery. No Canadians don't want to do those slavery work not even the new Syrian and Ukrainian refugees here who got asylum. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

@@misterlexx2721 this man is speaking the truth and on some farms it is even worse. I have had many family members over the years that have been farm workers, my cousins and even one of my brothers. My brother told me the horror stories and I told him never to go back but one cousin is still going. The government of this country are very much aware but nobody nuh care. THIS IS MODERN DAY SLAVERY.

@@chrissy1640 Many Jamaican HEART trained men who did electrical are working for power companies hefe and getting good pay plus benefits like danger pay and housing.🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

1000000% true 👍

He is speaking truth!!! I onced assisted my cousin to go see her friend at the farm and the condition wasn't good. I was in awe!! I felt so sorry for them. As he said, it's a group effort. One person against the system is difficult.

I’m pretty sure they already know

You don't know where the liason office is

Tear come to my eyes every year we celebrate Emancipation and Independence etc yet slavery is still here haunting us in a different way the physical whip is not here but mentally it is height of wickedness

@@gargamills nope I have no idea and I don't have no way of contacting them.

@@gargamills today one of the elder worker said it's three years now they haven't seen a liason officer.

What year you talking

@@truthtalker5884 it doesn't matter wat yr, it been going on over the yrs

Meanwhile some Jamaicans are still working in Jamaica and facing abuse and racism from the foreign investors. Everywhere we turn, macka jook wi!

Jamaicans have been going on farm work for the past 60 years. Some were treated well and some not. It depends who the owners are. There should be monthly unannounced visits from the countries labor board and violators should be find and denied labor for 3 months.

Real talk.

Exactly what needs to happen. If they go and see the situation and experience it , then all need to boycott the entire program. Do not allow yourself to be "enslaved "just for pittance.

My heart hurts its like when you are at your work place here in jamaica supervisor treat you bad if you talk up they brand you as trouble maker

And the same workers carry your name some people i see put in charge of things is like a shithouse am so dam mad about this

Please update us how the conversation went.

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SLAVERY😡😡😡

Sad situation yes but remember slavery pays that's how people gets rich

Notting is going to be done.its done on purpose .if you want to be treated better don't go to there place.same thing in America

Our people, we deserve better***

Yeah, but people like Andrew Holness and the rest of fools are cowards. they will know all this happen yet do nothing about it. Andrew government has never put any policies in place to protect Jamaicans working in these countries so therefore, people in Canada take the piss.

My love we don’t have no body to stand up for us, the big man dem not doing nothing, all dem do is promise with nothing behind it. Just a dam face card, this call MODERN DAY SLAVERY

Big puxxy government cause it

me feel like seh as black people we born fi get fight.. we go true the worst in this world god alone can save us

Omg this is really sad listening to this gentleman ,i thought slavery was abolished long time ago, being poor is really a crime. Well for starters i know racism is alive and well here in Canada,the struggle is real

The employer is obligated to give a half hour lunch break and that's it. That break after three hours is false

Unnuh nuh si say a slavery wi still under wid dem ya people who say a dem a run country, bakkra massa business dem still a deal wid, dem just wan kno sey fi dem poket full and overflowing…dem nuh care a hoot about de people dem serve, dem totally figet sey a dem a wi servant wen election done dem laugh and sey wretch dem wi fool dem again and wi sidung like sitting ducks 🦆🦆waiting waiting to be cooked, crying shame on government ministers and leader and people to mus stop act like politicians cares about us, dem ongly luv demself and dem friends and familys wake up people stop fool unnuh self Government is a fraud, vote dem outta office when dem not serving as dey should we have a choice people not dem dem all depeds on our votes to get into office… sets of thieves and robbers som a dem be…DISGUSTING!!!!

@@MyRadiantMorning So you believe it's ok for a person to work from 7am till lunch time without a break? That's unfair, this is 2022 not 1922. Every human being have a right to good working condition.

If they were being treated as second class, I doubt it'd be that bad. They are being treated as nobody/nothing. Those who are in charge give their dogs royal treatment yet people are being disregarded.

I believe him!

Smh poor we....they need to protect us...labour law where is it

Izland Sisterz TV, Absolutely true, although we all KNOW the root of it all.

TOTALLY AGREE

That's notting to cry about dem cant wait fi go a year time including him self now him taking trash

Me too

These people know it is cold before they get there why complaining wear your cloves and this is a out side work

God WILL NEVER intervene because he gave us SENSE as a people, which we REFUSE to come together and use!!! There is NO marching to the office of the prime minister etc making DEMANDS, there is NO throwing out NON-PRODUCTIVE ministers. Jamaicans hug up the injustice, while FAKE bad men k!ll each other and destroy their communities. No bad men ever bad-up those who are inflicting this injustice on the citizens. No one in Jamaica should be voting. Next election everyone should quietly stay home. Empty poling stations.

Canada shame on you for treating people this way dosen't matter color creed or tace

Race shouldn't matter you should treat people well shame shame

Which God?

The system in Canada is slavery as well , if you not smart financially you end up living paycheck to paycheck . It's easy to ruin your life at a pink slip.

It won't happen lol money run things

The minister is dismissive of the concerns of th farm workers experience..it's this is racism..how can he dismissed his experience

The condition of farm workers has always been horrible. One year when my brother called me and tell me the condition I cried and tell him to come home, I will work and support him which I did until I help find a job for him. Let me tell you something, you see when these men go over there to SLAVE and save their monies or send it back home, NOBODY NUH FI ROB OR BE JEALOUS OF THEM...

@@yvonneblake2 p

It's a lease program a lot of them don't know this,the jamaican government get money for each worker that go on these farm work program I rather dead b4 me do tht work.

I see them all the time down in Leamington, London and near to Windsor. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

Our government don't have any problem with that Jamaica is importing most of the food we eat and we have land with good soil and water our young farmers has gone to foreign countries to make a living and been exposed to the unexpected the jamaican government does not care for the masses they tourism is doing great is it really helping the masses

He said he is not going back

Indeed,das why many more would talk but dont trust anyone💯

This man is speaking d truth the minister saying he didn't see anything let him know to put himself in one of these men shoes it is rough dog life Jamaica minister wise up u blind or what stand up for the Jamaican farm workers this is cruelty

Check out some of the work place in Jamaica it's not any better they treat works like slave so ever week they need new ones

This is enough motivation for African descent Jamaicans to promote a stable two children family and proper education so Jamaicans can come here to Canada as skilled trades people and educated professionals. These groups can easily get Permanent Residency like me. Farm work is slavery. No Canadians don't want to do those slavery work not even the new Syrian and Ukrainian refugees here who got asylum. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

All he's saying is 100% TRUTH. My ex-husband use to pick apple and all this gentleman is saying he used to say to me.

@@jhay749 apple 🍎 is one of the worst crap ever worst when it cold and even a snow out and man still have to go out there....

yes he is speaking the truth!

He's talking 1000 percent facts I live all of that

No joke

Only unification sis.

oh don't you wish. every one of us coming together mean they use people from Bangladesh instead. Or Nigeria. Or Guyana Or

This is enough motivation for African descent Jamaicans to promote a stable two children family and proper education so Jamaicans can home here to Canada as skilled trades people and educated professionals. These groups can easily get Permanent Residency like me. Farm work is slavery. No Canadians don't want to do those slavery work not even the new Syrian and Ukrainian refugees here who git asylum. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

Modern day Slavery and Andrew Holness don't care

This man is speaking the truth i can testify to that from back in the 80s so this is nothing new the Jamaica liaison officers are in bed with the owners of those frams 🚜 he's so right it's slavery in a different form the farm I work on in Canada back in 80s was on the Niagara Lake the owners grew peaches 🍑 grapes 🍇 and a little bit of pears 🍐so I know exactly what this man is talking about and he's absolutely right about the Jamaicans who has long service on those farm 🚜 once they're comfortable with the conditions there and you're not trust mi yuh cann win you're fighting a losing battle I had to tell the plantation owner my mind one day after it started raining and a lot of lightning with loud thunder ⛈️ we had to stop working so we all called it a day and decided we're not going back out once it passes 5:pm After the rain with the thunder and lightning ⛈️ had stopped the plantation owner came asking us to go back in the field I told him that I just took a shower and I don't feel like going back outside after 5:pm he then asked the rest of men the first one to say yes was the Jamaican field boss then everyone followed him but they had to ran 🏃‍♂️ back inside because the rain 🌧 thunder and lightning came back down I was the only one man enough to stand up and look the plantation owner in his eyes and told that I'm not going back out there as a matter of fact I was new and the youngest worker there many of them believe that I wouldn't get a request to go back to Canada but I did I was in the first batch of men from Jamaica 🇯🇲 to go fly out After doing two years with them they didn't send a request for none of us the third year just because most of us wanted to go back home after the September 12, 1988 Hurricane Gilbert my son just born so I wanted to be there for him and his mother but the colonizer didn't care a damm for us he cared for his crops so this man is speaking the very truth up until this day I never regret not going back on farm working because who feels it knows it's slavery

You can hear pure pain in the heart and voice of the man...Jamaicans work hard trust me

This should be sent to the Canadian government

If the rain falls you want the employer to pay workers for no work? Are you insane! Workers get paid by the hr, if they are doing field work and it's raining why would the employer send them in the rain and mud?

@@maxdamion1 And if the weather persists???? No rate/agreemment/decision can be made for days like these. Crazy.

@@shadiadixon9823 they get paid by the hr , if you don't work you don't get paid its pretty straight forward . If your not working the employer ain't making any money either.

Nobody gets paid for staying home. Farm workers or not.

So why u didn't report it. About the farm

Have done anything to help? If not, then just be quiet. You're apart of the problem for being silent. Don't speak now because it's in the opening. You supported them for being quiet.

They allow it to continue because they're collecting their cut💰💰. He's right, slavery still exists...Black people are still selling their own people to this day.😩

This is enough motivation for African descent Jamaicans to promote a stable two children family and proper education so Jamaicans can home here to Canada as skilled trades people and educated professionals. These groups can easily get Permanent Residency like me. Farm work is slavery. No Canadians don't want to do those slavery work not even the new Syrian and Ukrainian refugees here who got asylum. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

Jamaica's Minister can't do anything thing. The farm workers have a choice to come or stay in Jamaica. You can't dictate to a First World G7 country once you are a third world country. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

The money is good.The majority knows it's not a bed of roses.

we do not have the economy of scale plus we do not grow many of these winter vegetables and fruits. Even summer like now can be cold so i can only imagine how it feels for many of these guys. Block the program until Canada fixes the problems

The jamaican government building houses on the best arable farm land

Do you have land? Are you farming that land to produce food? Do you own a business that is generating products for consumption and export? If the answer to any of those questions is “yes,” congratulations on your contribution to the economy. And, please keep up the great work. If your answer is “no,” SHUT YUH BACKSIDE! Everything oonuh want is government who must provide it. Be productive and stop looking for handout. If you have a business idea, work at it to make it a reality. If yuh get help from the government, then great, but stop looking to government to you you a favor. The licky licky mentality must stop at some point.

Jah jah am a farm worker i love the US especially my farm kast farm they deal with us good

Crab in a barrel mentality most Jamaican have.

@@omargolding3860 give God thanks for that bro, you are fortunate. My cousin pick apples in the US there too but conditions are not pretty.

Things will remain the same way once some are willing to work in whatever condition becauuse of the crab mentality

Long time "sleepy" aka Samuda need fi resign. However we know that will never happen. No democratic government is to be in charge of the people. The people should be in charge of the government decisions.

Samuda can’t stay here and see you hear what the man said someone should come on the program as undercover

@@Mark-ix6dc Pay attention, Samuda did go to inspect but like the interviewee said whenever they know someone like Samuda coming they will put everything in place spice and span.

@@NunyaHarmonee SAMUDA IS A DAMN LIAR, HIM KNOW WEY A GWAAN LONG TIME. THE WORKERS WAAN HELP, MOST A DEM CAAN READ & WRITE, MUCH MORE FI GO READ CONTRACT. SOMEBODY HELP THE WORKERS PLEASE!!! SAMUDA A FOOL, HE MUST NOT BE THE ONE TO HELP...HOLNESS WAKE UP & GET HELP FOR OUR LOVE ONES IN SLAVERY PLEASE...😭

@@chrissy1640 I agree 💯. He has no intentions of helping the farm workers. Too many incentives for him to lose at this point. Corruption runs Jamaica and this is a great example.

Me too

Do you and your friends believe that the liaison officer can just walk onto the farm and go straight to the workers before speaking with the owners of the farm so guess what stay home my friend I will go and do your work one Mexican dose 4 Jamaican man work in the same 8 hour shift uno too lazy and want free money

@@clivesmith1015 you wouldn't last a day

@@Elainebrown50 that's why I do what my body can manage that means I don't work I sleep on the side of the road,get up each day,go out to the various business places and beg people their hard earn money and go buy molly

I know I wouldn't last a day either 😂😂😂😂 big up your self I am in USA right now would LOVE to get some man to raise some animals tried it with my cousin it didn't work out

@@Elainebrown50 so what are you saying,you would trust me to care for your animals,do you have the land to put them on because I surely don't if so I would be more than willing to help you make money and I get something as well so again if you have the land we can talk business thanks in advance

Come take a look on ships

Dat ah dat! Go to school and get a career.

Amen

Karl samuda ur a wicked man they should fire u immediately Jamaican farm workers need representation from people in Jamaica samuda hope ur listening oh my God have mercy my eyes filled with water so sad I am crying look what Jamaicans have to go through to get a bread

This is enough motivation for African descent Jamaicans to promote a stable two children family and proper education so Jamaicans can here to Canada as skilled trades people and educated professionals. These groups can easily get Permanent Residency like me. Farm work is slavery. No Canadians don't want to do those slavery work not even the new Syrian and Ukrainian refugees here who got asylum. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

When they coming every one knows Once’s you don’t know Jamaican government benefits from every single person they send away USA or Canada

What a piece a brightness and out of order thing a happen to these farm worker from those unscrupulous ones

That's so sad. Sorry for your loss.

some a dem will live with it because dem foreign mind

How so

Wonder what kind of job he was doing in January & February, when there’s usually snow by then. Certainly, he wasn’t picking crops & he wouldn’t be preparing for planting. He needed to be more specific about some of the things he spoke about

We need to drink the dam coffee black maybe that might wake us up.

Very, very sad, sad. My sweet soul is deep touch and heartbreaking to here that thesrs workers that doesn't understand the brutal weather that we get here have to be treated in such very poor conditions and not been provided with the proper necessaries. This absolutely unacceptable and all of theses workers should granted permanent residence of Canada. Especially thoses who were coming for a so many years.. I am Jamaican who I have the privilege once to meet a fews of our Jamaican from workers in the French Capital areas of Canada where i have one of places, in a store and I invited thems all to my home, I cooked and feed thems all and packages up whatever I could put to together for thems. And they go crazy and excited with happiness when they came and see that one of thier own Jamaican have such massive home and Eastate. Anyway if this gentle read this article or any onthers Jamaican that are honest and caring that have been on the working program, They can message me back here i will try and help 10 person person but 3 at a time. To everyone of us who are going through theses tough challenges times, let not forget you're not alone there's many others who are truly facing theses situations at the present moment, but we can never give up and ourselves for life must go on. Keep pushing working and be patience but positive and believe in yourselves and followed your hearts to only what is of rightrustness and the Lord will lead the way that take you to that happy place of happiness and your inner peace of mind. And Live, Live, Live, Live, Love, Love, Love, and be yourselves. Nuff, Nuff, Nuff, Love, Love, Love, and divine happiness and Peace EVERYTIME Canada Everyone! ❤🖒❤🖒❤🖒🙏💕💛💙😐💚💜🌻🖒

I know it must be rough for workers so am sorry to hear about the conditions that you had to endure. The cause of the problem cannot be the liaison, but rather the private farm owners who expose their workers to these conditions. That's not how you treat a guest at your home. Do they ask their workers what they can do to make their living conditions more tolerable? I bet not. What has the Canadian Govt done? Maybe the Jamaican Govt should just abandon the program until Canada fixes the problems.

The Jamaican government agree with the Canadian government about all the contractual agreements 🤝 and the liaison service representative represent the government of Jamaica and the workers, or that's how it should be."NOT THE CASE"...the liaison officer puts the power in the bosses hands....and assure the bosses that no worker is irreplaceable...for every 1 worker their is 10 person waiting to take their place...hence the treatment being displayed all over Canada 🇨🇦

I work on the farm work program in the 80 s though similar conditions and then when I come home problem to get my compulsory savings from the government so all these area's is open to abuse by our very own

Anyone not receiving time and a half is wuk under di table. If one works on holidays the law states you are to be paid time and a half. 40 hours is a normal work week, however if you work 44 hours you are paid at a regular rate. Some companies pay 40 and extra 4 hours as over time. 48 hours has to be in writing between employee and employee. Over that up to 60 companies has to get approval from the government. Some companies will literally fire you if you go over the 60 hours. One has to monitor their own time. FACT, aa this almost happen to me with a major international company.

​@@sandramitchell2956 It doubles out here in BC for stat holidays.

I forgot to mention this , so what if permanent residence work in the cold ! Citizen born and bred here work in the cold too. So i don't get your point. Have you ever been on one of those farms ? Did you know that the workers are paid minimum wage ? Do you think there job is an easy factory job ? Yeah i said factory , because factory job's are bed a roses compared to these farmers. I have and on more than one too and i interact with the workers. I have even gone to pick fruits for myself and bending my back for less than 1/2 in the sun picking strawberries and peas ain't no easy task, and that for personal use , just imagine these guys out there for 8 and 10 hours every day in the sun , with someone over them whipping them with instructions to go faster .... Meet your target or go back home as there are many more who are more than willing to take your place. I must say this , JAMAICAN'S A FOREIGN IN ANY ARENA are some of the most divisive group a people i have ever come across and mi is a Jamaican. Other cultures have their differences but when it comes to sticking together for a common cause , they are all for themselves. As it relates to the farm workers , i was told that when things go a rye, the Mexicans will ban together for 1 and for all , BUT THE JAMAICAN'S DEM ! A EACH MAN FI DEM SELF. Some will put every thing on the line , but the water more than flour. Meaning more will go with the owners leaving the few to look like trouble makers. There is so much that these workers could change and acheive if they would simply let go of their selfishness and look at the bigger picture instead of the tiny do. They have the power and don't even know it. As a matter of fact every worker in any environment has the power , BUT until they let go of SELFISHNESS, things will always be the same.

It is like anywhere you go is the same thing when you are a foriegner.

The liaison officers don't care trust me i was there.

They pay in full so complain no matter

It was meant to be.

Lack of unity star

They can send Jamaicans home and hire from other countries that can tolerate the issues that the Jamaican are having and nothing can the government of Jamaica do about it! These are businesses entities and has a right to operate as they see fit or what society allows them to get away with???

@@hatorihanzo803 speak for you self big man ..

@@trevorbolto4436 we need we own farm program for our own people

Intelligent farm worker.Survival ,survival.He is now mentally free.Thank God.

I thought the same about the dogs! Unbelievable!

This is enough motivation for African descent Jamaicans to promote a stable two children family and proper education so Jamaicans can home here to Canada as skilled trades people and educated professionals. These groups can easily get Permanent Residency like me. Farm work is slavery. No Canadians don't want to do those slavery work not even the new Syrian and Ukrainian refugees here who got asylum. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

Exactly! He’s being truthful! So sad I’m the government let this happen to our people!!

Also, it's not that the people who are there for 20, 30 years ares satisfied. They feel they have no choice.

Would you let someone who is not the security force member in your house unannounced ?

the GoJ need to suspend the program if the Cdn Govt wont fix the working conditions. It's not our country so we do not control the working environment, the Canadians should. We can withdraw the labour.

Salient point..📌

It's on CBC RU-vid channel. I forgot that documentary series name.