Mexico halts migrant farm worker program in Canada

Mexico is temporarily suspending its program that sends workers to jobs in Canada's agricultural sector as it reviews Canadian health policies and procedures, according to a CNN report on Tuesday affirmed to Reuters by a Mexico foreign ministry spokesman. Canadian farmers rely on 60,000 temporary foreign workers, predominantly from Latin America and the Caribbean, to plant and harvest crops.

Mexico is temporarily suspending its program that sends workers to jobs in Canada's agricultural sector as it reviews Canadian health policies and procedures, according to a CNN report on Tuesday affirmed to Reuters by a Mexico foreign ministry spokesman. CNN reported https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/16/americas/mexico-workers-canada-coronavirus/index.html early on Tuesday that Mexico had put the program on hold, citing a Mexican embassy representative in Ottawa.

Two workers from Mexico, aged 24 and 31, have died in recent days after an outbreak of the novel coronavirus that hit at least 17 farms in Ontario, prompting the testing of about 8,000 migrant farm workers. Canadian farmers rely on 60,000 temporary foreign workers, predominantly from Latin America and the Caribbean, to plant and harvest crops.