UN report on Canada's temporary foreign workers details the many ways they've been abused

Wage theft, excessive work hours, limited breaks and physical abuse.

Those are just some of the ways Canada's temporary foreign workers are being mistreated, according to a final report from the United Nations' special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery.

Reiterating his previous comments after his visit to Canada last year, special rapporteur Tomoya Obokata called the temporary foreign workers program a "breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery."

In the final report, Obokata — a professor of international human rights law at the University of York in the U.K. — says he received reports of workers being underpaid and going without protective equipment, and of employers confiscating documents, arbitrarily cutting working hours and preventing workers from seeking health care.

"Women reported sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse," the report says.

"In addition, police have reportedly failed to take complaints seriously, claim that they do not have jurisdiction and report workers to immigration authorities rather than investigating their complaints."

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said he objected to the use of the phrase "contemporary slavery" in reference to the temporary foreign worker program.

He still acknowledged the abuses outlined in the report and said they need to stop.

"Any person in Canada, regardless of who they employ, need to treat people with dignity and respect according to the law," Miller said. "That isn't happening in some sectors that employ temporary foreign workers, and that needs to end."

Miller said changes to the program are coming but the government is being careful not to further inflate food prices. The agricultural sector accounts for most temporary foreign work permits.

"We want to make sure as we implement our reforms we aren't affecting food prices, because that's something Canadians don't want to see," he said. "At the same time, they don't want to see people being treated improperly in Canada. In some cases that's occurring and it needs to end."

The number of temporary foreign workers approved to come work in Canada has more than doubled since 2018. Last year, employers were cleared to hire 239,646 temporary foreign workers.

Obokata's report blames the abuse in part on a power imbalance — temporary foreign workers are tied to their employers through so-called "closed work permits" that only allow them to work for the employer who applied to bring them to Canada — and on workers' lack of information about their rights.

"The government does not seem to proactively and effectively inform workers about their rights, apart from publishing information online and providing ad hoc funding to civil society organizations for migrant rights education," the report says, adding employers can prevent workers from seeking help from such organizations.