The study by three university researchers and published by Brandon University in the Canadian province of Manitoba is unequivocal, notes the news site New Canadian Media : “The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated and exposed the ‘vulnerability, inequality and precariousness’ faced by newcomers, immigrants and migrant workers in rural Canada.”
The authors explain that the pandemic has exposed crucial flaws in the country’s immigration systems:
While the majority of newcomers to Canada reside in urban centres, a significant minority work and live in rural areas and small towns where essential immigrant services are much less developed and where greater geographic distances impede settlement efforts. support for immigrants.”
Racism, isolation, discrimination
For while immigration to Canada has long been associated with large urban centres, rural communities have been trying to change this perception for years, the study says: “Some now see the influx of newcomers as a key part of their strategies to counter the depopulation and aging trends that are prevalent in many rural areas.” But can they afford it?
The existing literature points to the difficulties created by the relative lack of settlement services, language support, cultural and religious groups, and other factors that help newcomers integrate into a community..”
Moreover, point out New Canadian Media, “The new comers […] often face language barriers, poor housing conditions, underemployment, isolation, racism and discrimination”.
On the other hand, observes the Canadian site, the pandemic has turned everything upside down on the side of temporary foreign workers, who suddenly saw the country’s borders close. Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program says it found the number of employees fell 47% in March 2020, compared to March 2019. “This has led to an increase in vacancies and disruption of food production.” Although Ottawa subsequently facilitated their entry into the labor market, the study argues that the government “has only exacerbated the already disproportionate economic, social and health risks that temporary foreign workers face due to their risk of deportation”. What’s more :
The pandemic has also increased the vulnerability of migrant workers, which includes precarious employment and the risk of exploitation by employers..”
The authors want Canadian policymakers to consider a post–Covid-19 reality in which newcomers “enjoy long-term security of residence and job satisfaction in rural Canada”.