Saint Lucia-born activist Gabriel Allahdua is party to a class-action lawsuit against the Government of Canada, challenging a closed work permit policy.
The lawsuit challenges part of Canada’s temporary foreign worker programme as unconstitutional for restricting participants to working only for their sponsoring employers.
Allahdua, now a Canadian citizen, spent four years as a seasonal migrant farm worker in Canada, and published a book exposing the injustices workers face and highlighting measures to improve the situation.
He told St. Lucia Times that a Montreal group called The Rights of Household and Farm Workers filed the class-action lawsuit last year.
Last week, a Quebec court gave the green light to the legal action.
Allahdua asserted that Canada’s closed work permit limits migrant workers’ rights.
He hoped that the court action would result in a ruling that it is unlawful, unethical and violates human rights.
According to the migrant worker rights activist, in 1982, Canada signed the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, pledging equal rights.
However, Allahdua declared that the closed work permit constitutes a human rights violation.
“We are hoping that instead of getting a closed work permit every migrant worker would get an open work permit, helping them to accept lots of the things they are denied and excluded from,” he told St. Lucia Times.
Byron Alfredo Acevedo Tobar, the designated class action member, came to Canada on a closed work permit in 2014 to work in a poultry-catching business.
The Toronto Star reported him claiming he was required to work an average of 12 hours a night with only three 10-minute breaks, catching up to 40,000 chickens a night, at a rate of five chickens in each hand for every catch.
Tobar also said he was frequently underpaid or paid late.
According to the Toronto Star, he alleged that he feared complaining could lead to being fired, threatening his status in Canada and his livelihood.
Gabriel Allahdua acknowledged greater awareness of the plight of migrant workers since his book detailing their situation and agreed that fear prevents those affected from speaking out.
“Canada has a culture of silence. Nobody speaks about it,” he lamented.
He asserted that there have been ‘band-aid solutions’ that do not get to the root of the problem.
“The more people become aware of the problem, the more they can apply pressure on the politicians,” Allahdua stated.
He recalled that the United Nations Rapporteur, in a report, described the policy of tying migrant workers to their employer as a breeding ground for modern forms of slavery.
Regarding a time-frame for the conclusion of the class-action lawsuit against the Canadian Government, Allahdua could only admit that the court system is very slow in every country.
Nevertheless, he hoped the process would not take very long.
St Lucia born??? I have a question – IS HE REALY A St. LUCIAN?
Can anyone buying this CITIZENSHIP stuff, attaining a Passport and so calling oneself a St Lucian, go working in the U.S. or Canada doing this degrading job, then comeback after engaging with some Franco Extreme agency, in so doing embarrassing the good relationship St. Lucia have been enjoying with the ‘Liberal Government of Canada’??? who really is this Gabriel Allahdua guy anyway?
Gabriel , are you a born Lucian? Your last name appears to force such a question. We now have Lucian’s all over the place with the booming CIP business initiated by the government.
@the Fox, St Lucia has many strange names now. Remember we have many foreign men traveling for work who procreate with our women from as far back as the 60s, then we also have many women traveling abroad and procreating with men of other cultures and nations. The world is just one big community divided by religion, culture and foreign policy.
Yes he is St. Lucian. Born and raised in Blemont Derniere Riviere Mabouya Valley.
@THE FOX, He is actually a Saint Lucian…lived in Dennery, worked for Bank of Saint Lucia.
Although he may have good intent, who authorized him to represent SLU’ farm workers? Isn’t this a government sponsored program with arrangements between the two governments ? Then again our government, past and present never take a stand to benefit the workers of this country. They are being abused right here, far less in foreign destinations.
Exactly what is wrong with some members of society. Some people have seriously lost the plot and focus on the wrong areas. Some of you come on here and focus on whether he is st lucian or not. It matters not what nationality he is. Just congratulate him for having a backbone to fight against such injustice. Awa wii. Well done Gabriel for taking the first step to change things for others.
Yes he is from Belmont deneriviiere dennery. I went to the LA resource school with his brother Victor who is his first brother. His father was a bee farmer producing honey. Go do your research before criticizing. You all just like foreigners exploiting you all. We must stand for our rights in our country and outside of our country.
“get an open work permit, helping them to accept lots of the things they are denied and excluded from.”………………….. hoping someone could explain or give examples of these things they are denied or excluded from. Maybe then I would better understand the issue………… Currently it just seems like they will get sponsorship from a particular farm while having intentions to go elsewhere.
The first two commentators started bashing the guy instead of sympathizing with his situation. What is wrong with some of us. No unity amongst us. My grandmother always taught, if you can’t find anything good to say, just keep quiet. I know the Allahdua family from the Dennery valley, some of us don’t even know our own people. Shame on you.