The country of Jamaica sends more temporary foreign workers (TFWs) to Ontario than any other in the Caribbean. More than 9,000 workers travelled in 2023.  What happens in Canada often makes headlines back home. Just ask Jamaican minister of labour Pearnel Charles Jr. Since he was appointed in May 2023, he’s travelled to Ontario to visit workers and their employers personally to witness working and living conditions. 

Behind the scenes, the Jamaican government is also working hard to prepare its citizens for the Seasonal Agricultural Programme (SAWP) in terms of what to expect.  A rigorous application program is complemented by an on-boarding orientation.

In Toronto, the Jamaican Liaison Service is headed by Althea Riley.  

“The Liaison Service is on the path of renewal,” says Riley. “We are revamping the way we recruit, orientate and engage with the workers. The emphasis is on providing more efficient services, prompt responses to challenges and taking a more hands-on approach to solving the issues that arise from time to time. Paramount to what we do is safeguarding the rights and the welfare of our Jamaican workers.”

This summer, her liaison officers organized a series of events where there are concentrated numbers of TFWs. For her, it’s an informal listening post to hear how the farm work experience is in real time. The social events are centered around cultural foods such as curried goat, jerk chicken, rice and peas or cultural activities such as dominoes. 

Why dominoes? It’s the great equalizer of different socio-economic backgrounds. While women play, it’s a male-dominated sport that doesn’t require education, but it does require strategy. Winners in the tournaments will have bragging rights…and don’t be surprised that news travels back to one of the island’s two major newspapers, the Jamaica Gleaner, and the Jamaica Observer. 

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