Temporary foreign workers leave Laurentian farm after denouncing conditions

An association defending temporary foreign workers' rights in Quebec says several workers have fled conditions they said were inhumane at a farm in the Laurentians, north of Montreal. 

The association, the Réseau d'aide aux travailleuses et travailleurs migrants agricoles du Québec (RATTMAQ), says several workers contacted it asking to leave the Pitre farm near Mont-Laurier, about 220 kilometres northwest of Montreal, because of their living and working conditions.

Michel Pilon, RATTMAQ's co-ordinator, says workers told his group they were forced to work up to 18 hours a day, without any days off.

"They barely sleep three hours and this has been going on for three months, the workers tell us," Pilon said.

"It's unacceptable to make people work these kinds of hours."

The advocacy group says the situation at Pitre is emblematic of what can happen amid a serious labour shortage, increased demand for local produce and work permits that are tied to a single employer.

Jérémie Pitre, who co-owns the farm with his two brothers, Jonathan and Olivier, has defended the farm against the workers' allegations, saying the farm invested in better living spaces for temporary foreign workers this year.