Farm Workers in Western Canada ─ Injustices and Activism

Are you saying that Alberta’s farm animals are protected by laws that farm workers are denied? —From Chapter 2

Farm workers are the faceless multitudes driving agriculture production. Many workers—men, women, and children—are injured and even killed at work. In nine essays, contributors toFarm Workers in Western Canada look at the origin, work conditions, and precarious lives of farm workers in terms of larger historical forces such as colonialism, land rights, and racism. They also examine how the rights and privileges of farm workers, including seasonal and temporary foreign workers, conflict with those of their employers, and reveal the barriers many face by being excluded from most statutory employment laws, sometimes in violation of theCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Scholars in the disciplines of sociology, Canadian history, law, and rural and labour studies, as well as policy makers, farmers, farm workers, and activists will benefit from readingFarm Workers in Western Canada.

Shirley McDonald teaches at UBC Okanagan. Her research interests combine literature, Canadian history, and life writing.
Bob Barnetson is a professor of labour relations at Athabasca University. His research centres on the political economy of employment regulations