Better Farming - October 2016

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Better Farming October 2016 Farm News First > 57
THEHILL
between workforce needs and
available workers would grow
significantly over the next decade.
Foreign workers and immigrants are
key potential candidates for filling the
gap.
Fast forward another few months.
Agricultural industry leaders met
with immigrant, refugee and citizen-
ship minister John McCallum, a
former university professor, bank
economist and, since 2000, a
Toronto-area MP. He appeared to get
the agricultural argument despite his
lack of background in the industry.
“Until last month or so I don’t
think we were on the government
radar screen but then we met with
minister McCallum and he zeroed
onto it pretty quick,” Bonnett said in
August. “He has a good handle on the
file and he has been well briefed and
sees and understands both sides of
the question.”
Meanwhile, a pilot project to try to
integrate Syrian refugees with
previous experience into Canadian
agricultural and food industry jobs
begins this autumn in the Quinte
area, supported by the Ontario
government and the Canadian Red
Cross.
Quinte Immigration Services
executive director Orlando Ferro
estimates that 700 or more refugees
could qualify for a place in the
project. With family members, the
affected numbers would swell into
the thousands. As many as 45 per cent
of the Syrian refugees have been
identified as having links to or
experience with agriculture in Syria
before they fled the civil war.
“The purpose of the pilot project
is to substantiate the numbers and
that they can be integrated into the
industry, into the community,” said
Ferro. “It also aims at giving the
refugees a chance to see employment
and stability in an industry that needs
workers.”
Bonnett says the success of the
Quinte pilot project is a key to
solving the two problems and now
proponents of the idea may have an
advocate in the federal government.
“I think the fact that minister
McCallum has the file is a good sign.
He’s a pretty sharp cookie, I think.”
Results of the Quinte pilot project
will be available in late 2017. BF
Barry Wilson is a member of the
Parliamentary Press Gallery and specializes in
agriculture.
‘It also aims at giving
the refugees a
chance to see
employment and
stability in an industry
that needs workers.’