Canada/Caribbean seasonal agricultural workers programme continues to assist regional economies
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Contact: Amanda-Faye Clarke
Friday, December 11, 2009 – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat, has joined the rest of the Caribbean community in applauding the success of the Canada/ Caribbean Seasonal Agriculture Workers Programme.
Head of the Corporate Services Division of the OECS Secretariat, Nicholas Devaux, says his institution remains committed to the government of Canada and the Foreign Agricultural Research Management Services (FARMS) in enhancing the program’s outreach to more agricultural professionals within the sub-region.
“Nationals who participate in this program are earning up to three times as much per capita as some OECS countries, and that is significant. There is evidence throughout the islands where people can afford university education for their children as a direct result of participating in this program,” Devaux said.
Jamaica’s Minister for Labour and Social Security, Honourable Pearnel Charles, says the Canada/Caribbean Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme continue to make invaluable contributions to the regional economies by making a positive impact on employment.
Minister Charles explained although the program assists Canada by alleviating its labour surplus, he believes the region would be in greater problems without it.
“Remittance, Technological Transfer and Improved productivity are just a few benefits we see trickling though our labour force. In fact, most of the workers who have travelled to Canada have returned as employers; they have come to put back into Jamaica, and I am sure the situation is the same in the other Caribbean islands,” Charles said.
The Canada/Caribbean Seasonal Agricultural Programme has been hailed as one of the most successful worker-exchange programmes in the western hemisphere. |
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