Fish processors to get work under agricultural workers programme in Canada

Workers in the blue economy, including fish processors, will soon benefit from an expanded Canada/Caribbean Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP).

Minister of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector Colin Jordan said during the Annual Review Meeting of the programme, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Tuesday, that stakeholders have already started talks on expanding the decades-old temporary workers initiative to include the blue sector.

He noted that according to the 2022 Barbados Economic and Social Report, Barbados exported $25.3 million in goods to Canada while importing $93.1 million. He said that expanding these economic ties by leveraging additional areas of Barbados’ workforce is a promising development.

“After 58 years of the programme, it is very welcomed news to hear that there will be new opportunities for our citizens in fish and seafood processing,” Jordan said. “We are very happy that the approach being taken by the Canadian government includes discussion, so that the programme that is crafted at the end of the process will be a programme that we’ve all been able to make input to.”

Noting the impact that storms, like Hurricane Beryl, have had on the region’s fishing industry, Minister Jordan said the expansion of the programme would expose workers to much-needed experience.

“We believe that our workers, once exposed to this kind of programme, will be able, when they come back, [to] assist us in adding value to our own fishing industries right across the Caribbean,” he said.

“We believe once we have our workers working, when they come back to our countries they are able to bring some skills with them in that area.” 

(SB)