Report raises concerns about human rights of N.S. female migrant workers

A new report says Nova Scotia is failing to adequately protect female migrant workers employed on farms and seafood plants in the province.

The report, published by the Centre for Migrant Worker Rights Nova Scotia, reviewed over 40 pieces of existing research and surveyed dozens of workers in the Colchester, Cumberland, and Pictou counties of the province.

Over half of the women surveyed reported overcrowding at employer-provided housing, with 62 per cent reporting too few washrooms and other facilities.

Unsafe working conditions were also a concern.

Seventy per cent of respondents surveyed said they were required to work outside in severe weather conditions.

The report recommends the federal and provincial governments should provide workers with open work permits so they are not tethered to one employer.

The majority of respondents also felt that they were not adequately informed of their rights as workers or supports available to them upon arriving in Nova Scotia.