Remembering the Dead, Standing up for the Living

[sabotabby]

So I was in Hampstead today, participating in the Justicia for Migrant Workers vigil commemorating the eleven people killed in a van crash six months ago. The situation today is no less dire—if anything, it's gotten worse. Six migrant workers have died in the last two weeks. The drought conditions have caused crops to fail, meaning that many of the migrants who come here to cultivate and harvest our food—often paying thousands of dollars for the privilege of doing so, earning below minimum wage and barred from unionizing—were summarily deported to their home countries. Changes to unemployment mean that many Canadians who would otherwise be eligible for EI will be forced to take jobs that previously only migrants would, pitting the reserve army of the unemployed against the already dreadfully exploited farmworkers. Part of the struggle for better working and living conditions involves recognizing that these folks even exist and reminding the country of the horrific lives they lead, just so that we can have cheap food.

The call-out from Justicia:

Six months have passed since the tragic accident that killed eleven people near Hampstead, Ontario. Amongst the dead were 9 migrant chicken catchers from Peru. The impact of this accident has been felt across the hemisphere as families struggle to cope in the wake of this accident. To commemorate the sixth month anniversary, Justicia for Migrant Workers (J4MW) is organizing a March and Vigil entitled 'Remembering the Dead, Standing up for the Living'. It will take place Sunday July 22, 2012 starting at noon.

Working with the survivors of the accident, the march and vigil is being organized to raise awareness of the thousands of migrant workers who have been injured, become or sick while working in Canada.

The survivors of the crash, Javier and Juan, wish to break the invisibility not only of their situation but to raise the profile of the conditions faced by migrant workers across Canada. Their message is clear: Federal and Provincial laws designed to protect migrant workers don't work! Fundamental steps need to be taken to ensure that migrant workers are treated with respect and dignity. Our demands are as follows:

Safe working conditions
Status upon arrival
No fees for work
Equal access to all entitlements
Modernize labour laws to reflect the realities of migrant workers
No repatriations and deportations

Where can I find more information?

web: http://www.justicia4migrantworkers.org/
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/100416336771056/
email: j4mw.on@gmail.com

"Buy Ontario" doesn't sound too wholesome now, does it?



I have more pictures than this, but I can't post them. We had a much smaller crowd than there were people wanting to come. That's because some of the people who would have attended were deported. Some were forced to work today because the farmers knew that the vigil was happening, and abruptly changed their schedule. Others were threatened with reprisals if they attended.

Despite the threat to their safety and livelihood, many migrant workers did come. The people whose faces you can see clearly in these photos are allies, however. I don't want to get anyone in trouble.


Here's the road where it happened.


Some of names of the dead.


David's cousin spoke. It was heartwrenching.

After the speakers were done, we planted flowers in the barren field where the accident happened.







It was a brutally hot day. I can't imagine working in a field on a day like today. But someone is doing so, for a shift that is longer, for work that is more dangerous, and for less pay than a Canadian would accept. In this country, we're quick to talk about the bravery of soldiers and cops while ignoring the far more important and more tenuous lives of the people who feed us.

Comments

[nineteen68.livejournal.com]

These are some very moving images. Thanks for posting.

[sabotabby]

Thanks for reading! This is one of those issues that most people don't seem to care much about.

[nineteen68.livejournal.com]

I guess I think a lot about food, & the folks who bring it to us. I saw a documentary once about the workers who come to Canada from Mexico every year to pick tomatoes, & I've never been able to look at a tomato the same way since. Not that the US is any better. Urgh.